Customer Service Officer

EMEA3 Recruitment; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 22,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Local government pension scheme

25 days holidays (plus buy extra)

Flexible working options

Maternity/paternity/adoption leave

Volunteer opportunities

Training and development

Staff discounts

Job summary

West Sussex County Council invites applications for a permanent, part-time Customer Service Officer based at Drayton Depot, Chichester. Hybrid working options available. Salary £20,358 to £22,096 per annum pro rata (full-time equivalent £29,540 to £32,061).

The role focuses on delivering a customer‑centred service, engaging with the public and Councillors, and coordinating with highways teams and contractors. Minimise customer wait times and ensure clear, timely updates.

Qualifications

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Influencing skills to draft responses and provide progress updates.
• Ability to prioritise between competing demands and remain calm.
• Experience in a busy customer service role handling information and queries.
• Proficient in Microsoft software and social media tools.
• Basic knowledge of road maintenance to explain processes clearly.
• Good understanding of customer care principles.

Responsibilities

• Engage with the community and Councillors, updating them on planned Highways activity.
• Reduce customer journey by owning enquiries and keeping customers informed.
• Proactively provide information to support service actions.
• Collaborate with Customer Service Centre, Highways Officers and contractors for coordinated works.
• Provide customer service via social media with a personal touch.
• Handle Freedom of Information responses within required timescales.
• Follow customer-focused processes and policies.

Skills

Excellent communication

Influencing skills

Prioritisation

Customer service experience

MS Office

Social media use

Road maintenance knowledge

Customer care principles

Tools

Microsoft Office

Social media platforms

Job description

Salary: £20,358 to £22,096 per annum pro rata (Full time equivalent is £29,540 to £32,061 per annum.)

Working Pattern: Part time 25.5 hours per week. Ability to work flexibly during the week to cover the team hours between 8am and 5pm.

Contract Length: Permanent.

Location: Drayton Depot, Chichester Drayton Lane Chichester PO202AJ with hybrid working opportunities.

As a Customer Service Officer, you will be responsible for providing a transactional front-line service direct to our customers.

The focus of this role is to deliver a truly customer-focused service which Service.

Specifically, this role will:

• Engage with the community and Councillors, keeping them up to date with planned activity across Highways.
• Reduce the customer journey, ensuring there is ownership for the customer enquiry and that the customer is updated.
• Be proactive in providing key information to the wider service so action can be taken to proactively inform the customer.
• Work collaboratively with the Customer Service Centre, Highways Officers and contractors, ensuring reports and required works are efficiently coordinated and communicated.
• Provide customer service through social media, bringing a personal service to the customer.
• Freedom of Information responses, ensuring responses are of the highest quality and provided within the stated timescale.
• Work to customer focused processes and policy.

What We Need From You

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, to be able to articulate to customers often technical information in a way which is meaningful.
• Influencing skills to be able to persuade colleagues to draft responses, communications and provide information on progress.
• Able to prioritise between competing demands and to remain calm in challenging situations.
• Experience of working in a busy customer service role, providing information, resolving queries and prioritising calls.
• Experience of using Microsoft software, social media and systems to support service delivery.
• A basic knowledge of road maintenance and repair, to be able to explain the different stages of the process to a customer with some clarity.
• A good understanding of customer care principles.

Working for us

As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide a great place to work ensuring you can fulfil your full potential, have access to a range of benefits including:

• an excellentlocal government pension scheme
• generous holiday entitlement of 25 days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)
• arange of flexible working options, depending on your job role
• maternity, paternity, dependencyand adoption leave
• volunteering opportunities
• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
• a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see ourStaff discounts pageif you are a business looking to offer a discount)
• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme,Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is EIE01587.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Nicola Welling at [e-mail] For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [e-mail].

There will be a requirement to travel to other WSCC offices around the county. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application helppage.