Customer Service Representative

Havant Borough Council; Havant; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority is seeking a Customer Service Advisor to enhance community interaction and provide exceptional customer service. The successful candidate will engage directly with the public, addressing inquiries across various council services. Candidates should have experience in customer service, outstanding communication skills, and a willingness to assist others. This role is crucial for ensuring a positive customer experience while managing various administrative functions. This position offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous leave allowance

Free parking

Support for professional development

Local Government Pension Scheme

Comprehensive benefits package

Qualifications

• Experience working in a busy customer services environment with effective communication skills.
• Ability to respond appropriately to customer requests and identify solutions.
• Understanding of IT systems for effective job performance.

Responsibilities

• Provide outstanding customer service via various channels.
• Assist in administrative tasks and maintain accurate records.
• Support customers with self-service services.

Skills

Customer service experience

Excellent communication skills

IT skills

Flexibility

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Are you passionate about Customer Service and are you looking to develop your customer service skills within a Local Authority in order to support our organisation’s priorities?

We are seeking a Customer Service Advisor to join our onsite team at Havant Borough Council. This position is perfect for individuals with a background in customer service. This is a highly diverse role where no two days are the same. By working closely with the public, you will play a pivotal role in delivering outstanding service and enhancing the community's interaction with their local authority.

As a Customer Service Representative, you will engage directly with the public, addressing a wide range of queries about council services. Your goal will be to provide accurate information promptly, ensuring an exceptional customer experience every time.

Havant Borough Council serves over 125,000 residents, providing a range of critical services to residents and businesses. An award-winning authority, it is committed to address Wellbeing (the health of our communities), Pride in Place (creating a great place to live, work and enjoy) and Growth (building our future).

Nestled between the Solent coastline and the South Downs, working at the council provides an excellent work/life balance. The Public Service Plaza is conveniently situated within a few minutes’ walk of a mainline train station, the bustling town centre, and bus station.

Be a part of something where you can not only make a great difference but enjoy a wider range of benefits including an excellent pension scheme, discounted gym membership and volunteer leave.

What we offer

• A competitive salary
• Generous Leave Allowance
• Free Parking
• Support for your continuous professional development
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• A comprehensive benefits package, find out more on our website www.havant.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers

What you’ll be doing

This role makes a positive difference by providing customers with a first class, understanding service by assisting with and answering any queries via the Council’s various access channels while also supporting various administrative functions.

The role of the Customer Service Representative will act as the first point of contact for enquiries, handle requests, and perform administration tasks to support officers and teams throughout the Council thereby assisting in the delivery of services to residents of the Borough

Key Responsibilities

• Provide efficient and effective customer service to all customers who are contacting Customer Services by telephone, personal visit to reception and customer access point, online, e-mail or in writing
• Provide clear, accurate and concise responses to all customers ensuring compliance to Council policy and procedure
• Ensure that records and information on Council’s computer systems covering the full range of Council services, including case management systems are accurately recorded and updated where necessary
• Managing and recording customer complaints in a professional and timely manner in line with the Councils complaints procedure, escalating issues when necessary
• To promote self-service and channel shift in line with Council’s strategy, supporting customers with the use of self-serve terminals and web access points located within reception areas
• Monitoring shared mailboxes and actioning/responding to internal and external emails as appropriate
• Support with administrative tasks that involve working with spreadsheets and documents for activities such as gathering and compiling data, maintaining records and producing and formatting documents
• Working with various teams to make updates and changes to the Councils website, intranet, policies and core records to ensure the information we hold and publish is up-to-date, accurate and good quality
• Cooperation with the implementation of new services/processes into the team and help ensure that all arrangements, systems and resources are in place to enable services to be delivered in a customer focussed and business-like way

You should have

You’ll have experience of working in a busy customer services environment, responding appropriately to customer requests and identifying solutions to issues, making effective use of available information technology systems.

You will also need to be understanding and have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, be approachable and willing to assist others as well as the ability to work under pressure.

You will be required to be flexible and have an enthusiastic approach to work, with the ability to adapt to change at short notice, have good keyboard skills, including knowledge of word and excel.

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Sharon Jessup, Customer Service Team Lead via email [e-mail]

To Apply

If you have excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, strong IT skills and a desire to develop your skills further to support the Council’s customer experience and access strategy in delivering excellent customer service, then you are the kind of person we want to hear from!

Please click apply and complete the short application process (3-4) minutes. Please ensure you attach your CV and a supporting statement, when completing your application on our recruitment platform Hireful – www.havant.gov.uk/jobs-us-apply-now. We will not be able to progress your application further unless you provide a supporting statement detailing how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the role profile.

Closing date for receipt of applications is midnight on 29 January 2026 and interviews will be held on 12 February 2026.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. We would encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

Due to the current employment climate, we are receiving a high number of applicants for each post and as such may not be able to acknowledge receipt of your application. You will however be notified as to whether you made the shortlist soon after the closing date.

We want our workforce to reflect our diverse local communities, therefore, we encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. www.havant.gov.uk/our-organisation/equality-and-diversity

The council is an inclusive employer and appoints on merit. We are a Disability Confident Employer and have a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Veterans.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff members to share this commitment.

Havant Borough Council is a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. All employees of the Authority will be expected to support any necessary actions required during an emergency response.