Customer Services Officer

Herefordshire Council; Hereford; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS pension enrolment

Career progression paths

Annual leave 31 days (pro rata)

Flexible working options

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Staff perks and discounts

Job summary

Herefordshire Council in Hereford is recruiting a Customer Service Officer to be the first point of contact for the public and professionals contacting Adult Social Care. You will work in the Advice and Referral Team alongside social workers and occupational therapists, delivering a responsive, strengths-based service to meet presenting needs.

Typical duties include handling calls, following processes to find the right referral, and directing customers to community, voluntary, health or

Qualifications

• GCSE English grade A–C or equivalent.
• Experience in an office or administrative role.
• Customer service experience.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Positive approach when working with the public and team members.
• Ability to follow processes and search for information while on calls.
• Self-motivation and helpful attitude.

Responsibilities

• Provide first point of contact for members of the public and professionals contacting Herefordshire Adult Social Care.
• Work within the Advice and Referral Team alongside Social Workers and Occupational Therapists to deliver a timely, strengths-based service.
• Handle queries, follow defined processes and direct customers to appropriate community, voluntary, health or statutory services.

Skills

GCSE English

Office/admin experience

Customer service skills

Microsoft Office skills

Positive approach

Process follow-through

Self-motivation

Education

GCSE English or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About The Role

Job Title: Customer Services Officer

Contract: Permanent

Location: Hereford

Hours: 37

Salary: HC5 £26,847 to £29,071 per annum

Closing date: 10 November 2026

The Role

We are looking for a Customer Service Officer to help us provide a first point of access for members of the public and professionals contacting Herefordshire Adult Social Care.

Working within the Advice and Referral Team alongside our Social Workers and Occupational Therapists, you will thrive in effective services for the customer.

What will you be doing?

As a Customer Service Officer you will work as part of a wider team with scope to support a diverse population; and using a strengths based approach you will connect the customer with the right response to meet their presenting need(s); whether that be, within the community/voluntary sector/health services/charitable services, or by introduction into the Adult Social Care Pathway.

About You

• GSCE English, grade A to C or Equivalent.
• Experience of working in an office, or an administrative, secretarial role.
• Customer service skills.
• Microsoft Office skills
• A positive approach in working with the public and team members.
• Ability to follow processes and search for information whilst taking a call.
• Ability to demonstrate self-motivation, together with being approachable and helpful.

We Offer

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension andstaff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Starting Salary of £26,847 to £29,071
• Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways toprogress including routes in customer services, commissioning for adult social care, trusted assessors, and apprenticeships.
• Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum with line manager approval.
• Flexible working:flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

You will probably have heard a lot about how beautiful it is in terms of countryside and open spaces (and it is!) but there is so much more going on here, including world-class cultural assets like the Mappa Mundi, vibrant theatres and a thriving food and drink sector.

One of Herefordshire’s biggest assets is the strong and diverse communities. Our Talk Community approach brings that together supporting people to help themselves, encouraging them to help their communities and identifying how communities can help individuals. Our ambitious transformation programme aims to further build on this to offer an all-age approach. We’re excited about the potential of what we can achieve for the benefit of all residents of Herefordshire, stronger together and building brighter futures.

To find out more about what it’s like to live, work and thrive at Herefordshire Council please visit our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [e-mail].

Creating an inclusive workplace

Employee Network Groupsplay an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

Employee Network Groups are a collective of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and who come together to initiate positive change in their work place. Our groups include: Black and Asian Staff Networking Group, LGBTQ+, Parents & Carers, Climate and Nature Emergency, Diff-abilities and Armed Forces/ Veterans. For more information on our Employee Network Groups please click here.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

Community Wellbeing is connecting and belonging to the place where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community.

We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity.

All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

About The Company

Herefordshire Council Plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:

Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-28