Customer Relations Officer - Greater Manchester, United Kingdom - L&Q

Description

Customer Relations Officer (Stage 1)

The Role:

Title: Customer Relations Officer (Stage 1)

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week

Location: West Ham Lane, Stratford or Sale Point, Manchester

Persona: Agile/hybrid working- office based 20-40% (3-4 days working from home)

Salary: Inside London starting from £31,923pa

Outside London starting from £28,045pa

Closing date for completing applications: 7^{th May 2024 at 11:59 pm}

Interviews will be held on: 16^{th May 2024}

**Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the advertisement and interview earlier than stated

Role

Do you consider yourself to be a high achiever, who not only meets but exceeds targets?

Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment and work well under pressure?

Then you should consider applying to join our passionate & experienced Customer Relations team

Our Customer Relations team is expanding, and we have some great opportunities for customer service professionals wanting to make a difference. We continually strive to provide first class service to our customers, who are at the heart of what we do, and we are committed to making the right decisions with complaints.

As a Customer Relations Officer, you will be responsible for reviewing and responding to complex Stage 1 complaints in line with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code. The role involves managing a case load of ongoing complaints through to resolution, supporting our residents and colleagues across the business. The aim is to provide the customer with the best outcome that resolves the complaint.

In this role, you will advocate for our residents, communicating with customers via telephone and email to understand their concerns, why they are dissatisfied, where things went wrong and the outcome they seek. You will conduct thorough and impartial investigations of each case you handle, produce excellent written correspondence, and where necessary, award compensation in line with L&Q policy.

We are looking for strong communication skills, both verbal and written, to produce excellent responses, and out the box thinking to resolve complex complaints. You'll need to be caring, understanding and empathetic.

Successful applicants must have a confident approach in reviewing cases and be able to challenge decisions. Complaints could cover multiple areas of the business, and therefore strong and effective diplomacy and stakeholder management skills are essential. Being able to manage your time, workload and be highly motivated, is also an important part of the role.

Duties will include:

• Managing and owning a caseload. Volumes may vary but you can expect at least 3-5 new complex complaints per week, and you may have 50 or more ongoing complaints to manage at any time
  
• Conducting thorough impartial investigations
  
• Working within response deadlines and adhering to team SLA's/ KPI's
  
• Liaising with customers and internal departments via phone, Microsoft teams and email
  
• Challenge decisions of internal departments
  
• Calculating compensation in line company procedures
  
• Ensuring information is carefully documented and systems are updated
  
• Being conversant with the Housing Ombudsman code and ensuring that complaint handling and decisions are in line with the code
  
  Key skills and experience:
  • Strong customer service and complaint handing experience
    
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
    
  • Inquisitive and investigative nature
    
  • Critical thinker and ability to use own initiative
    
  • Quick learner
    
  • Computer literate
    
  • Able to work at a fast pace and meet deadlines
    
  • The ability to communicate effectively with residents from a wide range of backgrounds and to recognise vulnerabilities and tailor your approach accordingly
    
  • Be supportive, empathetic and willing to think outside the box
    
  • Be willing to challenge decisions which do not meet the HOS code and the needs of the resident
    
    We're actively building diverse teams and encourage applications from all backgrounds. We want to create an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute their best work and develop to their full potential. We celebrate our differences and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities we serve.
    
    If you have the passion, drive and skills listed above, and are interested in working for an organisation that can really make a difference to people's lives, then please apply without delay
    
    For more information, please refer to the role profile.
    
    

    Our commitments:
    
    

    At L&Q, people are at the heart of our business and our success depends on employing the best people and getting the best from them. This is why we are committed to developing our people. It's only by investing in a well-trained and motivated workforce that we can continue to prosper and sustain business success.
    
    

    In addition to our support and training, the successful candidate will have access to our full suite of benefits including 28 days holiday rising to 31 days with length of service, excellent Pension scheme, an employee assistance programme and non-contributory life assurance.
    
    

    We are committed to supporting your work-life balance and recognise the changing demands and circumstances in life. Please let us know during the recruitment process if you're interested in part time working or job sharing. In addition, should your circumstances change once you have joined L&Q, you can also request flexible working arrangements, e.g. a change to working hours - if it's feasible then we'll make it happen.
    
    

    We are recognised externally for our commitment to inclusion. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident (Committed) employer and have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge to demonstrate our commitment to end mental health discrimination in the workplace.
    
    

    We expect all of our employees to support our environmental policy and social responsibility work. We are an employer committed to environmental and social responsibility.
    
    

    L&Q is a regulated charitable housing association and one of the UK's most successful independent social businesses. The L&Q Group houses around 250,000 people in more than 100,000 homes, primarily across London and the South East.
    
    

    As a charitable organisation, our role goes beyond providing homes and housing services. We are a long-term partner in the neighbourhoods where we work. We hope to build aspiration, opportunity and confidence in our communities through our £250 million L&Q Foundation and our skills academy.
    
    

    Our vision is that everyone has a quality home they can afford, and we combine our social purpose with commercial drive to create homes and neighbourhoods everyone can be proud of.