Job Title: Complaints Handler
Contract Type : permanent
Salary : £37,070 per annum
Working Hours : 35 hours per week
Working Pattern : Monday to Friday
Location : London / Hybrid
If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.
The difference you will make as Complaints Handler
In this role you will be managing a caseload of service requests and complaints (all stages) to ensure effective early resolution for our customers in accordance with agreed Policies, processes, standards, time scales and targets using our Customer Relationship Management system, Salesforce. You will deal with complaints from all areas of the business to ensure complaints are responded to and fully investigated within the required timeframes and in line with internal and external processes. Ideally in this role work closely with the rest of the service improvement team, and heads of service to ensure the process meets best practice and gives the best customer experience.
About you
We are looking for someone with:
• An empathic approach to dealing with customers.
• Strong analytical and investigation skills.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Able to work to own initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing, focus on plain English.
• Dispute resolution skills, and the ability to truly listen to a customer’s concerns and resolve effectively
• A ‘can-do’ attitude and solutions-driven, innovative approach
• An awareness of the risks associated with poor complaints management.
• Effective stakeholder management, both internally and external to the organisation.
Why Riverside?
At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.
We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.
Working with us, you’ll enjoy:
1. Competitive pay & generous pension
2. 28 days holidays plus bank holidays
3. Flexible working options available
4. Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
5. A wide range of benefits
Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:
We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.
This role also falls under our Ethnic Diversity guaranteed interview scheme. If you are Ethnically Diverse and demonstrate you meet the minimum criteria for the role you will be guaranteed an interview.
Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.
Role profile
Job purpose
• To provide a professional, responsive and positive feedback and complaint resolution service to customers, ensuring an empathetic approach at point of contact.
• To deliver a customer centred approach to the handling of feedback and complaint resolution
• To have individual autonomy and freedom to solve customer problems.
• To provide responsive, supportive and thorough investigations to all feedback and complaints
• To ensure all investigations are in line with the appropriate policy and procedures that are in place
• To develop performance information, insights and understanding into the causes for customer feedback and to identify areas for improvement based on learning
• Work closely with the Heads of Services to identify service improvements as a result of customer feedback
Role requires you to:
• Manage a caseload of service requests and complaints (all stages) to ensure effective early resolution for our customers in accordance with agreed Policies, processes, standards, time scales and targets using our Customer Relationship Management system, Salesforce. You will deal with complaints from all areas of the business
• Thoroughly investigate feedback and complaints from customers showing empathy and understanding. Examine databases, files, records and liaise and meet with relevant staff in order to fully understand the events and actions leading up to the complaint.
• To ensure complaints are responded to and fully investigated within the required timeframes and in line with internal and external processes.
• Work closely with the rest of the service improvement team, and heads of service to ensure the process meets best practice and gives the best customer experience.
• Through complaint handling be able to identify and escalate any serious concerns or risks to business through the appropriate channels and to Senior Management, such as any Health & Safety or Data Protection concerns
• Actively promote and raising awareness of the feedback and complaints procedure across the organisation and the customers ensuring it is inclusive and accessible
• Support the Complaint Resolution Manager with stage 2 complaints.
Contribute to the dissemination of learning outcomes to both colleagues and customers to raise
• Ensure all complaint documentation and record keeping is accurately maintained on the customer relationship management system.
• Plan and facilitate complaint meetings and other methods of resolving feedback and concerns in a positive manner.
• Build and maintain good relationships with all colleagues across The Riverside Group to ensure service improvements are seen as positive changes.
• Contribute to the development of best practice standards and share learning across the team.
awareness of service improvements identified during the course of the complaint investigations.
• Triage complaints as they come into the business and assess them. This could include dealing with the complaint/Service Request or assigning it to another colleague
Person specification
Essential
• An empathic approach to dealing with customers.
• Strong analytical and investigation skills.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Able to work to own initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing, focus on plain English.
• Dispute resolution skills, and the ability to truly listen to a customer’s concerns and resolve effectively
• A ‘can-do’ attitude and solutions-driven, innovative approach
• An awareness of the risks associated with poor complaints management.
• Effective stakeholder management, both internally and external to the organisation.
• The ability to remain calm in a pressurised environment.
• Excellent team player who can work flexibly to meet business requirements.
• Results driven with strong analytical skills and experience of providing meaningful management information.
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office
Desirable
• Knowledge of Housing
• Knowledge of the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code.
• Experience of working in a complaints/resolution team
• Experience identifying service improvements as a result of feedback and complaints