Specialist Customer Service Advisor

Oxfordshire County Council; Oxford; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job description

About Us

Our friendly Specialist Customer Service Advisers are the first point of contact with members of the public, partners, agencies, and other teams and services, handling enquiries via a variety of channels and signposting to information and services appropriately. The Customer Experience Function supports the empowerment, independence, and self-serving ability of our customers.

Our vision is ‘to provide excellence in Customer Service to the residents and visitors to Oxfordshire.’

About the Role

We are looking for new colleagues to work for our Customer Service Centre in the centre of Oxford. This Centre is dedicated to supporting customers in various sensitive circumstances and ensuring that their needs are met without any inconvenience. We are always learning and daring to do things differently by continuously improving our services and support for our residents.

The successful candidate will be the first point of contact across Oxfordshire and will be expected to deliver an efficient and effective service to customers whilst maintaining a high standard of customer service. You are also responsible for ensuring that all relevant County policies and procedures are adhered to, and concerns are raised in accordance with these policies.

Daily Duties

• Answering customers' enquiries by phone, email, and web referrals.
• Making outbound calls to customers following up on their enquiries.
• Processing customer enquiries/referrals for Adult Social Care and our support partners, making decisions regarding their needs and consulting our Professional Support Team on priority cases.
• Interrogating and updating our Adult Social Care database, looking up information for customers and either resolving their enquiries or providing them with other sources of information as necessary.
• Liaising with your Team Leaders, peers, and external agencies to progress customer cases, following through to conclusion.

About You

We are looking for a polite and caring individual who can efficiently perform and adapt to a continually changing environment. A conversational member of staff who is open-minded and who looks forward to engaging with team members as well as vulnerable customers in a welcoming and supportive manner.

• Do you have previous experience working in the care sector dealing with vulnerable adults or are you seeking to start a career in Social Care?
• Are you an effective listener & do you have excellent verbal communication skills with a wide range of people and the ability to deal empathetically with difficult or upsetting conversations whilst remaining professional?
• Do you have a demonstrable ability with regards to computer skills, including excellent word processing capabilities, being able to articulate and transfer conversations to written reports, proficiency with email, internet applications, databases, and MS Office?
• Do you have the capability to support the needs of vulnerable customers and undertake strength-based conversations to draw out their needs?
• Do you have a genuine interest and desire to help others and an understanding and empathy towards the needs of others?
• Do you have customer service experience and are able to deliver that in difficult situations?

If you think you are capable of these duties and would like the opportunity to build a career in Social Care and develop your skillset, we would love for you to join us.

Our Rewards & Benefits

• Culture of flexible working
• Technology to support agile working where role permits
• 24 days holiday p.a. plus bank holidays
• Option to ‘buy’ additional holiday
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, with an employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Great learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development.

Our Commitment to:
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our Commitment to:
Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our Commitment to:
Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults. We expect all employees, workers, and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our Commitment to:
Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, full-time and part-time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights, and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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