Customer Service Specialist

ZipRecruiter; North East; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment service in Gateshead is looking for Contact Centre Agents to manage cases and conduct challenging conversations with customers. The role requires excellent verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to handle multiple caseloads. Benefits include 28 days of holiday increasing to 30, life assurance, and career development opportunities.

Benefits

28 days’ holiday (increasing to 30)

Mental Health support

Career development opportunities

Employee welfare support

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service skills with empathy.
• Strong judgment and assessment skills.
• Ability to navigate multiple systems proficiently.

Responsibilities

• Conduct effective conversations with customers.
• Manage multiple cases and maintain evidence files.
• Gather and verify information to determine actions.

Skills

Strong verbal and written skills

Customer relationship management

Detail-oriented

Proactive and resilient

Job description

Overview

Job Description

Start date: 13 October 2025

Rate of Pay: £12.86 per hour

Location: Gateshead - PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AN ONSITE ROLE AND WORK FROM HOME IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THIS POSITION

Shifts: Full time 40 hours per week. Monday – Friday between 08:00 am and 6:00 pm. You must be fully flexible to work any shifts between these hours.

Training: 11 days

The Role

We are seeking dedicated Contact Centre Agents to join our team. We are looking for individuals who possess a unique blend of compassion, strong judgment, assessment skills, professionalism, and with excellent time management skills. This role involves assessing caseloads in a timely manner and managing a dedicated caseload with empathy, professionalism, and confidentiality, while collaborating with relevant agencies and stakeholders to address complex issues. The role aims to enhance the well-being and financial stability of potential vulnerable customers through proactive intervention and effective case management.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct challenging but effective conversations
• Maintain multiple cases simultaneously, varying by type and stage
• Be responsible for managing a designated caseload
• Question in a curious and confident manner, while considering sensitivities, to gather evidence
• Review and compare multiple sources of information, using reasoned judgement to assess conflicting evidence
• Engage with potentially challenging and vulnerable individuals with empathy and excellent customer service
• Collaborate within your team and with wider teams to support delivery outcomes
• Proactively seek advice and information when unsure how to proceed
• Manage and conduct caseloads following a structured review process in adherence to all legal and policy requirements
• Decide what evidence is appropriate to request to confirm the validity of declarations, considering the uniqueness of each case
• Plan and conduct robust interviews with challenging questions to gather relevant information, tailoring follow-up questions to each case
• Gather, verify and assess all available information to decide on an appropriate course of action
• Record the progress of caseloads on specific systems and maintain evidence files, including redacting and annotating sensitive material when appropriate

Background Checks

The role requires Baseline Personnel Screening Standard (BPSS). If your application is successful, you will be asked to provide documents/evidence to permit the following checks:

• Identity check
• Nationality and Immigration Status (including entitlement to undertake the work)
• Basic Criminal Records Check (including international checks if you have lived outside the UK in the last 5 years)
• Employment/Academic History Check for a period of three years prior to application

We will require documented evidence of your three-year history, such as employer/education references, payslips/P45s, and other evidence of salary payments. If there are gaps, we will need evidence of activity (e.g., travel, study, unemployment, volunteering). If successful, a list of acceptable documents and submission instructions will be provided. All screening and evidence must be completed satisfactorily before commencement of employment.

What We Need From You

• Strong verbal and written skills with attention to detail
• Ability to establish excellent customer relationships in a fast-paced environment
• A can-do attitude with the ability to interact with many different people
• Professionalism and emotional stability to maintain high-quality customer service when engaging with claimants
• PC skills and the ability to navigate multiple systems competently
• A good, consistent typing speed and the ability to multi-task
• Take ownership of situations with positivity, resilience and a dedicated approach to service excellence
• Adaptability as processes evolve and change

Benefits

• Online recruitment process with potential job offer within 24 hours and fully paid training
• 28 days’ holiday (including bank holidays), increasing to 30 days after 1 year of service
• Lifestyle Benefits programme with discounts, offers, and wellness resources
• Refer & Earn Scheme
• Employee welfare support, Mental Health EAP, and Health and Wellbeing Hub
• Life Assurance and Pension Scheme
• Length of Service and monthly recognition awards
• Career development and progression opportunities

Disclaimer

Please be vigilant against job scams. Teleperformance will only contact you about your application through official channels. If you receive suspicious communications, disregard them and report the incident to our team. Your security is our priority.

Note: Only candidates who meet specific proficiency scores will be able to proceed on this campaign. If you pass the assessment but do not meet other requirements, we will endeavour to find other suitable roles, but this may not be possible and we reserve the right to reject applications.