Helpline Operator

Barnett Waddingham; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Life assurance: 4x salary

Income protection: 75%

Private medical insurance

Pension scheme: 5% employee / 10% ER

25 days leave (27 after 5 years)

Flex benefits programme

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Howden is seeking a number of Helpline Operators to join the Pensions Administration team in a hybrid role based at the Birmingham office. You will handle high-volume calls and email enquiries with a focus on excellent customer service and timely responses.

Ideal candidates will have Customer Service experience, Call Handling skills, and strong communication abilities, plus familiarity with Microsoft Office.

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths & English at grade 5/C or equivalent.
• Previous Customer Service experience (essential).
• Previous Call Handling experience (preferred).
• Financial Services background (advantageous).
• Office environment experience in a team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving, empathy and attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Word, Outlook).

Responsibilities

• Answer a high volume of calls promptly and maintain a rapid response rate to agreed standards, remaining calm and providing a professional response at all times.
• Answer email/online enquiries in an efficient, timely manner to achieve service levels.
• Prepare and submit telephone notes of a high standard.
• Implement and apply business continuity procedures during the failure of the call system and communicate with colleagues.
• Report any faults in the internal call system and any systems connected to the telephone software.
• Printing, filing, photocopying and scanning.
• Archiving files and retrieving archived files.

Skills

Customer Service

Call Handling

Communication

Problem-solving

Teamwork

MS Office skills

Education

GCSE Maths & English 5/C

Tools

Excel

Word

Outlook

Job description

We are currently recruiting a number of Helpline Operators to join the Pensions Administration business area. This is a hybrid role and is based in our Birmingham office.

The Helpline Operator's main responsibility will be to answer and deal with calls from clients, scheme members, their representatives and other organisations in a professional and friendly manner. You will work as part of a team, to ensure the speedy response rate to all calls and queries received, upholding a high standard of customer care at all times.

You will ideally have previous Customer Services and Call Handling experience, as well as being a pro-active "go-getter".

If you pass the initial screening, you’ll be invited to complete a series of assessments including a skills test, a workplace behaviour assessment to see how well the role suits your working style, and a one-way video interview with scenario-based questions. This helps us get a fuller picture of how you’ll thrive in the role beyond what’s on your CV.

A snapshot of your day:

• Answer a high volume of calls promptly and maintain a rapid response rate to agreed standards, remaining calm and providing a professional response at all times.
• Answer email/online enquiries in an efficient, timely manner to achieve service levels
• Prepare and submit telephone notes of a high standard
• Implement and apply business continuity procedures during the failure of the call system and communicate with colleagues
• Report any faults in the internal call system and any systems connected to the telephone software
• Printing, filing, photocopying and scanning
• Archiving files and retrieving archived files

Qualifications/Experience

• Minimum GCSE Maths & English Grade 5/C or equivalent
• Previous Customer Service experience (essential)
• Previous Call Handling experience (preferred)
• A Financial Service background (advantageous)
• Experience of working within an office in a team environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good problem-solving skills, empathy and attention to details
• An understanding of Microsoft Office programmes, in particular Excel, Word and Outlook

What's in it for you:

• Competitive discretionary annual bonus.
• Core benefits including life assurance of four times salary, income protection of 75% of salary for up to five years, and single private medical insurance cover.
• A generous pension scheme with 5% employee contributions matched by a 10% employer contribution.
• 25 days' annual leave, increasing to 27 days after five years' service.
• Access to the Howden flexible benefits programme, offering a wide range of benefits and discounts to support your wellbeing, family life and lifestyle.
• The opportunity to be part of a growing global business where career development, collaboration and innovation are encouraged.

Accessibility

If you require reasonable adjustments or want more information on accessibility, please let us know

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