Customer Access Officer Ref: 61-24

Salary: Grade 10, £23,152 per annum
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Place of Work: Elizabeth House, Dereham (remote-enabled)
Contract term: Contract until 31^st May 2026

Would you like a job where what you do:

• Makes a difference to customers and businesses across the Breckland district
• Allows you to play a pivotal role in helping transform the way customers can reach us

Our telephone contact centre is at the very heart of the Council and the gateway through which our customers access our services, give us valuable feedback and receive the help and advice they need.

Our customer access team play a pivotal role in helping transform the way that customers can reach us and our innovative and exciting technology and digital strategy developments including web chat will see the contact centre taking even more of a lead at the customer interface.

Our team can go on to expand their careers within different areas of the Council and we pride ourselves on the development support we provide.

We are growing our service and offer exciting opportunities for ambitious and motivated people with a passion for excellence in customer service to join our team.

You will:

• Understand the customer issues
• Take ownership of service requests
• Fully utilise the main CRM Frontline system to steer queries to a successful conclusion
• Effectively use other specialist conclusion
• Increase knowledge in different Council departments
• Make connections between the customer's initial request and the various services the Authority offers

About you:

Collaborative - You look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing your views and knowledge. You recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input.

Ambitious - You always ask yourself 'How could we do this better?', taking ownership of change and helping others to understand, adapt, implement, and embed it. You have an open mindset, take risks and explore new ways of doing things. You are a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same.

Results-driven - You review your own performance and ask for feedback to learn and improve. You make sure you are clear on what you need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions. You are driven, showing courage and resilience even when things don't go to plan.

Empowering - You show energy and drive to explore new opportunities and challenge the status quo - acting on opportunities to generate income or reduce costs, embracing new technology and promoting digitalisation. You ask for help and support when needed, and take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for your own and for the organisation's development.

Supportive - You treat others as you would want to be treated yourself, ensuring that you are welcoming, friendly and approachable.You understand and take care of your own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of those around you. You give time to colleagues who need help or support.

OK, I'm interested...but is it really the job for me?

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for you to apply your exceptional interpersonal skills to add real value to our customers' experience through your ability to evidence:

• Confident communication skills
• Taking ownership of and resolution of complex enquiries
• Confidence in dealing with wide range of people and challenging behaviour
• Organisational skills and accurate record keeping
• Intuitive ICT skills
• Passion for excellence in customer service
• Working flexibly and proactively as part of a team

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Job summary

Description of duties

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service. This will be in consultation with the post holder, as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Proven experience in a front line position within a customer service or contact centre environment.
• Microsoft office software.
• Knowledge of variety of services provided by Local Government.
• Ability to search and navigate the Internet effectively.
• Knowledge of and ability to access, read and maintain a variety of databases.

Desirable

• Previous local authority experience.
• Knowledge of:
  • Academy
  • Comino
• A working knowledge of customer relationship software preferably GOSS CRM

Qualifications

Essential

• A good standard of spoken and written English (GCSE English at grade C / Level 4 or above, or equivalent qualification or experience).

Desirable

• NVQ customer services.
• ECDL or equivalent computer skills.

Behaviours

Collaborative

I encourage individuals and teams to work, learn and deliver together

Ambitious

I am motivational and drive positivity; taking an optimistic approach and engaging others

Results-Driven

I am flexible ensuring I provide the best possible service, wherever and whenever is best for the customer

Empowered

I ask for help and support when needed

Supportive

I treat others as I would want to be treated myself ensuring I am welcoming, friendly and approachable

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

• Observe H&S standards
• Deal with challenging customer behaviour

Breckland Council's Terms and Conditions are in accordance with the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Administrative, Professional, Technical & Clerical Services (APT&C). These are collective agreements negotiated between the council and APT&C. The exception are those conditions affecting salary, which are subject to a locally negotiated salary structure.

Other Terms and Conditions may be implemented following collective agreements negotiated with the Trade Union recognised by Breckland Council for collective local bargaining purposes. The Principal conditions are set out below:

If you have read the job description and person specification and believe that you could be the right person for this role, then please apply by 09:00, 7 March 2025.

Shortlisting is done based on how well a candidate meets the requirements of the role. Therefore, please demonstrate clearly how you meet the person specification in your application.

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please email Zoe Webster (Customer Access Senior Lead).

APPLY ONLINE

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies. These are listed as essential requirements on the person specification.

DBS Requirement

Please be aware that if you are selected for this role there will be a requirement to undertake a DBS check as part of pre-employment checks.