Customer Complaints Handler

Freebridge Community Housing; King's Lynn; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual salary £30,273.75

Holiday entitlement 25 days + bank

Employee discounts via Reward Gateway

Maternity/paternity leave benefits

Health and wellbeing support

Charitable leave

Gym membership discount

Pension scheme (employer contributions

Job summary

Freebridge Community Housing is seeking a Customer Complaints Handler to lead investigations from start to finish, keeping customers updated and driving improvements across the organisation.

You will handle formal complaints, work with cross-functional teams, and ensure responses meet housing guidance and Ombudsman standards, while maintaining a fair, customer-first approach.

Qualifications

• Experience in handling complaints within a legal framework
• Background in customer service
• Experience with social housing customers and their needs
• Proven track record of delivering against targets and deadlines
• Working knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Responsibilities

• Manage formal complaints from start to finish and provide professional responses in line with the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code
• Keep customers informed throughout, ensuring fair and consistent service and consider compensation within authorisation levels
• Investigate complaints with support from relevant departments and service managers, document communications and aim for early resolution
• Draft Stage 1 letters and responses that are concise, compliant with Ombudsman guidelines and clearly explain position
• Proactively manage own caseload and handle complex cases with a diplomatic, resolution-focused approach
• Contribute to a positive customer journey by ensuring clear communication and high-quality service throughout

Skills

Customer service

Complaint handling

Social housing knowledge

Target-driven

Tools

MS Office

Job description

We have a great opportunity for a Customer Complaints Handler to join our team. You'll lead and coordinate complaint investigations from start to finish, keeping customers informed every step of the way and helping us learn and improve as a business.

Our Freebridge Community Housing goal is to provide affordable, safe, and quality homes for current and future generations, for those who need a place to call home. Freebridge was set up in 2006, to receive the transfer of the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk's housing stock. We now have over 7500 properties across West and North Norfolk, in addition to building new homes for social and affordable rent, and to support those who want to move into shared home ownership. We've had numerous achievements, including delivering our customers' promises and bringing homes to the Decent Homes Standard, affording our customers a much better quality of living. At Freebridge, we live by our values:Belong, Own It, Think Customer, One Team One Purpose, and Be the Change.

Requirements

Outline of key responsibilities...

• Managing formal complaints received through any channel, taking ownership from start to finish and providing a professional response in line with the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code
• Keeping customers informed throughout, delivering a fair and consistent service and giving due consideration to compensation where relevant and within your authorisation levels
• Investigating complaints with support from relevant departments and service managers, compiling clear, customer-focused responses, aiming for early resolution where possible and making sure all communications are fully documented
• Compiling Stage 1 letters and responses in line with Ombudsman guidelines, making sure they are concise, legally compliant, address the complainant's issues and clearly explain our position and decision
• Proactively managing your own caseload, using your initiative to handle complex cases and potentially difficult situations with a diplomatic, resolution-focused approach
• Helping to change how complaints are seen and experienced, delivering excellent customer service and making sure the customer journey is smooth and communication is clear throughout
  

We are looking for someone who has...

• A background in customer service, or experience gained in a customer service environment
• Experience in complaint handling and the relevant legal framework
• Experience working with a range of customers, including an understanding of the needs of social housing customers
• A track record of delivering against targets and deadlines
• A working knowledge of MS Office, especially Word, Excel and Outlook
  

Benefits

What's in it for you?

At Freebridge, we're appreciative of our team and you can enjoy the following benefits from joining us, among many more:

• An Annual Salary of: £30,273.75
• Generous Holiday Leave:Enjoy 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years of service
• Exclusive Employee Discounts:Access amazing deals through our Reward Gateway
• Comprehensive Leave Policies:Enjoy 6 months full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks full pay for paternity leave
• Health and Wellbeing Support:Access physio and counselling services, along with an employee assistance programme
• Charitable Leave:One day per year to volunteer for a cause you care about
• Discounted Gym Membership:Stay fit with discounted membership at Alive Leisure
• Pension Scheme:A great pension scheme with generous employer contributions (up to 12%)

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity is key to our values and culture. We create a workplace where every voice is heard and respected, embracing diverse perspectives to drive innovation. Our inclusive environment empowers colleagues, ensuring equal opportunities for all. We don't discriminate against employees or potential employees based on protected characteristics. We're happy to accommodate reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to enable you to perform your best.As part of this commitment, we also offer accessibility tours for candidates to help ensure an inclusive and welcoming experience from the outset.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.