Customer Services Officer

Leeds City Council; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector organization in Leeds seeks Customer Services Officers to handle high volumes of inquiries and deliver excellent service to the public. Candidates must have strong interpersonal skills, experience in customer service, and the ability to work under pressure. This role includes administrative duties and requires individuals who can work on their initiative. A competitive salary and flexible working arrangements are offered.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Annual leave and holidays

Pension contributions

Professional development opportunities

Staff wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability in numeracy and literacy.
• Experience in a customer service role.
• Skills to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Answering telephone calls in a contact centre environment.
• Identify and offer solutions to problems.
• Support staff and new team members.
• Manage workload and adhere to deadlines.

Skills

Interpersonal and communication skills

Ability to work under pressure

Experience in customer service

Initiative and judgement

Education

Numeracy and literacy qualifications

Job description

Job title: Customer Services Officers

Salary: B3 £26,403 - £28,142

Hours: 37 hours per week – Mon-Fri 08.30am – 5.00pm

Contract: Permanent

Location: Knowsthorpe Gate, LS9 0NP / In office however Hybrid to be discussed after training is complete.

About you

As an Senior Administrative Assistant you will be required to

• answering telephone calls in a contact centre environment
• Can work under pressure and to strict deadlines.
• Experience in a customer service role or similar
• Can work with bespoke systems

About the role

As a department we take in excess of 50,000 calls a year as well as administer over 15,000 permit applications and undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade.

As our next Senior Administrative Assistant you’ll use the skills you have learnt to help the Administration team continue to provide a high standard of service we give to the general public. The work is challenging but rewarding, if you feel that you could be a good fit for this role please apply.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including :

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Responsibilities

• Work with high levels of accuracy for tasks such as checking documents and recording numerical and alphabetical information.
• Identify problems and areas for improvement and offer solutions.
• Support staff and develop new team members.
• Use initiative and judgement where appropriate, providing outcomes and solutions for customers from a range of options.
• Work on your own, manage your own workload and use your initiative to adhere to time scales and deadlines.
• Carry out a range of administrative duties.
• Collate data and use it to produce reports.
• Understand legal business, financial, audit, confidential and operational requirements of the service, and the impact on its day‑to‑day work.
• Maintain effective relationships with other Leeds City Council staff, elected members, members of the public and other partnership organisations as appropriate.
• Work flexibly moving within service areas, working at different locations depending on service demand.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills.
• Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and development programmes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days, events as requested.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g. child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti‑discriminatory manner, upholding and promoting the values, standards and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

Qualifications demonstrating ability in numeracy and literacy or equivalent knowledge.

Personal Specification

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following: Application Form, Test, Interview or Certificate.

Skills Required

• Well‑developed interpersonal and communication skills with a wide range of people including face‑to‑face, telephone and written communication skills. Including the processes for dealing with varied information with a range of audiences.
• Able to work with, and within, multiple teams of staff and contribute to its development with suggestions for new ways of working.

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of the applications, systems and IT programmes utilised by the service and being able to accurately record and retrieve information.

Experience Required

• Of working on your own and using your initiative to adhere to timescales and deadlines.
• Experience and understanding of the importance of providing excellent customer services.
• Of dealing positively with challenging situations.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

• Committed to continuous improvement.
• Abled to understand and observe Leeds City Council Equality and Diversity Policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health & Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills and continuous professional development.
• Understand and embrace our values, behaviours and codes of conduct.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS

It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements, however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

Knowledge Required (Desirable)

• Safeguarding.

Specific Job Purposes

Parking Services CSO team undertake the administrative duties in the back office for the department. Supporting our internal and external colleagues within the department as well as other departments (highways, community hubs). By being responsible for the processing of Penalty Charge Notices (parking tickets) Bus Lane Enforcement as well as Moving Traffic Offences citywide.