Salary: £28,328 per annum
Contract Type: Fixed-Term (6 months), Full-Time (37 hours per week)
What is the role?
The customer relations directorate embodies the outcomes of our cultural transformation: where all colleagues are accountable for the experiences of our customers; we are all responsive to customers and they trust us to understand and meet their needs; and we all line up together, irrespective of where we work, to support colleagues on the front-line and help get things right first time.
The contact department has a critical role as the touchpoint for customer relations through digital and analogue contact points with the business. The contact department will be the focus for the flow of customer information in and out of the business, and will oversee first line contacts, promote our digital platform and enable channel shift. The contact department will also co-ordinate customer insight and engagement, including a proactive approach to complaints resolution, and will proactively support the new service offer that focuses on the customer experience, maximises digital services for key transactions, and targets our resources to support those in greatest need and those at greatest risk of tenancy failure.
If we are going to deliver the experience that our customers want, its vital that we understand how they feel and what they think about us. We recognise that feedback is an opportunity to improve the perception of the business and learn lessons. As a customer relations partner (resolution), you will ensure that we record, manage and respond to complaints in a professional, fair and effective manner. You will also collect, analyse and learn from this contact and support the training and development of colleagues in relation to how they handle complaints.
What will you be doing here?
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You will work right across the business to ensure that we effectively manage and respond to customer feedback.
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You will record, manage and respond to all customer feedback including complaints and compliments and ensure they are managed in line with agreed policy and procedure.
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You will receive and co-ordinate responses to MP, councillor and other agency enquiries; and build trusted relationships with them.
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You will work with relevant senior managers to mitigate complaints going to the housing ombudsman and then help facilitate our response if they do.
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You will work in compliance with The Housing Ombudsman's Complaint handling code and Tenant Involvement and Empowerment standard.
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You will monitor all forms of social media to identify any actual or potential complaints (and compliments) and ensure they are managed in line with agreed policy and procedure.
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You will regularly analyse feedback data and produce detailed reports that enable lead partners and their managers to understand key trends, patterns and issues.
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You will provide training and support to colleagues to improve their approach to mitigating, responding to and resolving complaints in a consistent way; and acknowledging compliments.
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You will actively support our approach to digital complaints handling.
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You will undertake research and analysis to support key projects which help improve how the business works.
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You will support managers in the customer hub to develop and maintain knowledge banks and scripts ensuring an effective and responsive service for customers.
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You will positively support activities that help promote our new culture and behaviours.
Skills and experience
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Obsessive customer service ethic.
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Understands the needs of customers and communities.
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Excellent written and verbal skills.
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Decisive problem solver and decision maker.
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Excellent inter-personal skills.
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Innovative and inquisitive.
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Ability to build excellent internal relationships and positively engage with colleagues at all levels of the business.
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Well organised, self-disciplined.
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Flexible, works collaboratively and willing to embrace change.
Qualifications and other requirements
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Experience of managing and responding to customer complaints.
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Ideally, you will have contact centre experience or housing knowledge; however, this is not essential ad full training will be provided