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Job Information Pack

Customer Service Advisor

(Fixed term – 12 months)

TAFF/469

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Advert

We have a fantastic opportunity for a highly motivated individual with passions for helping people and delivering high levels of customer service to join our Housing & Communities team. If you’d like to join a forward-thinking organisation with great benefits and good career opportunities, then we’d love to hear from you. You will need to be a clear communicator, able to work calm under pressure and represent the organisation in a professional and positive manner. Have experience of working with vulnerable people and sometimes challenging behaviour. Able to take a psychologically informed and person-centred approach to resolving problems in the diverse and vibrant communities we operate.

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About Taff

Our Head Office is located in Canton, Cardiff, within easy reach of our Tenants. As an ‘anchor’ organisation, Taff has always tried to create inclusive communities, building on people’s strengths and abilities. We are here to support and encourage innovative and creative solutions driven by our people – customers and staff.

We continue to develop new Social Housing and invest in our existing stock. But we also work with individuals and communities to develop their resilience, aspirations and ambitions.

Taff is about nurturing ‘whole places’, which are kind, inclusive, energetic and creative.

We have committed to ‘Build Foundations for Better Futures’ in our plan which takes us to 2022. Our ambitions are to: • BUILD A REPUTATION FOR DELIVERING GREAT SERVICE & INNOVATION – we want our customers to value our services, and think of new, more efficient ways to work with them •BUILD HOMES & COMMUNITIES – we will build at least 50 homes each year, and promote safe, cohesive communities • BUILD RESILIENCE AND ASPIRATIONS – we will work with people to find their strengths and help them achieve what’s important to them. We will give them tools to cope independently • BUILD A GREAT PLACE TO WORK - we want people to feel part of Taff, and to take leadership roles wherever they are in the organisation • BUILD FOUNDATIONS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS – if we want to be innovative and use technology to help us grow, we need to ensure all our systems work well – financial, IT, document management etc. • BUILD COMMERCIAL CAPACITY – healthy surpluses allow us to build homes and to try out new ventures; research and development will underpin all new business ideas We recognise that our success depends on the quality, skills and commitment of the people who work for us. We are committed to equality and embrace diversity, and welcome applications from all.

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The Job – Customer Service Advisor Responsible to: Customer Service Supervisor Purpose of the post: To provide an outstanding customer service to Taff’s service users, customers, external agencies and colleagues. Achieve high levels of performance and customer satisfaction.

Main Functions: ✓ The first point of contact for all enquiries received via telephone, reception and in writing.

Processing enquiries ranging from housing, ASB, rents, repairs, support advice and all back office functions and providing a high level of customer service.

✓ Carrying out three main areas of work on a rota including reception cover, phone handling cover and administrative duties.

Key duties: ✓ To be the first point of contact for tenants over the telephone, and at reception, in relation to

housing management and maintenance issues. To deal with queries, assist customers, and provide an outstanding service on a wide range of issues, including:

• repairs;

• planned improvements;

• compliance checks;

• arrears;

• advice & support services;

• mutual exchanges;

• applications for re-housing;

• complaints;

• neighbour disputes;

• Community investment ✓ To provide assistance, cover and support for other CSAs within the customer service team. ✓ To provide an administrative service including but not limited to invoicing, filing, word processing,

printing, maintaining monitoring systems, producing statistics. ✓ To provide an excellent customer service face to face in Taff’s busy reception. Working with the

customer service team to ensure that reception is staffed adequately at all times. ✓ Responsible for all of the associations post including sorting, franking and updating the franking

machine. ✓ Responsible for the allocating and monitoring of all temporary staff cards. ✓ Responsible for complying with reception fire safety and evacuation procedures. ✓ Management of the association’s keys and fobs. Monitoring keys being signed out and ensuring

keys and fobs are replenished and up to date. ✓ Ensuring Taff’s reception area is presented clean and tidy with all promotional materials kept up

to date. ✓ Accurately record and maintain information on Taff’s databases and assist with the improvement

and development of systems. ✓ To carry out mailshots and photocopying. To liaise effectively with members of other departments (e.g. the Maintenance Department) to ensure that customers queries are dealt with promptly and efficiently ✓ To assist in the provision of an efficient reception service for the association, dealing with queries

where possible, and ensuring that:

• Calls are forwarded promptly and accurately

• Visitors are dealt with politely and efficiently

• Messages are forwarded promptly and efficiently

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✓ To develop and sustain positive working relationships with colleagues in the team and across the Association.

✓ To contribute positively towards improving the team’s services. ✓ Any other duties as reasonably requested by the senior customer services advisor or member of

the management team.

Housing Management Services ✓ Taking complaints of anti-social behaviour and neighbour disputes. Ensuring full details are

recorded and basic advice provided. ✓ Arranging appointments appropriately to assist the housing officers in managing their workloads. ✓ Provide basic advice and guidance around mutual exchanges and housing applications. ✓ Where necessary, liaise with other agencies in order to ensure an effective housing management

service is delivered (e.g. Police, Pollution control). ✓ Providing appropriate health and safety and fire safety advice and guidance.

Rent & Income Services

✓ Checking rent and recharge balances and ensuring correct information is provided to tenants and former tenants.

✓ Checking and identifying if any rent arrears or recharges are owing in all contacts with tenants to optimise every opportunity to resolve issues and tenancy breaches.

✓ Taking rent and recharge payments via telephone, cash and card payments. ✓ Complete administration of the re-charge process. ✓ Providing basic rent and welfare benefit advice. ✓ Negotiating payments to ensure minor rent arrears and recharge debts are cleared and escalating

more complex and serious cases to the income team. ✓ Ordering rent cards. ✓ Setting up, amending and closing direct debits. ✓ Assisting with the administration of the Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.

Community Investment Services

✓ To utilise customer contacts to promote Taff’s community investment activities and events. ✓ Promote Taff’s community investment activities and events for various means in the receptions

area. ✓ Signing customers up to activities and events organised by the association. ✓ To assist the community investment team at events laid on by the organisation.

Maintenance Services

✓ To assist in the administration and organisation of the day to day responsive repairs for the maintenance department.

✓ Assist in the overall operation of the Repairs Team. Liaise with our Repairs Team operatives and external contractors appointed to ensure that the Associations responsive repairs works are carried out, which will involve making appointments to gain access to carry out the work.

✓ Contact the Associations Tenants and make appointments with them to carry out day to day works. ✓ To take requests for repairs and process the repair. ✓ To liaise with Tenants and other Taff staff to ensure that the Association is able to carry out

improvement work where access has been difficult to arrange. ✓ Collating delivery notes and coding invoices for payment. ✓ Checking and identifying any non-access issues such as for gas servicing in all contacts with tenants to

optimise every opportunity available to resolve tenancy issues.

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*This job description is indicative of the range of current duties and responsibilities for the post. It is not comprehensive. This post is expected to develop overtime with the skills and knowledge of the post holder and it is essential therefore, that it is regarded with a degree of flexibility, so that changing needs and circumstances can be met. All changes will be discussed with the post holder.

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The Person – Knowledge/Skills/Experience Education

Essential: ✓ Educated to GCSE level or equivalent experience. ✓ Excellent literacy and numeracy skills. ✓ Good keyboard skills.

Desirable: ✓ A relevant housing qualification.

Experience & Knowledge Essential: ✓ Extensive experience of working with the public in a customer service orientated role. ✓ Experience of working in a busy office environment. ✓ Experience of providing administration support e.g. invoicing, minute taking, writing letters,

photocopying etc. ✓ Experience of filing and record keeping. ✓ Experienced and competent user of Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel and Outlook

Desirable: ✓ Experience of working within the social housing sector. ✓ Basic knowledge of social housing including repairs, housing management, rent collection and

community investment ✓ Basic knowledge of the challenges faced in social housing

✓ An understanding of community investment and how we can involve and invest in our tenants and community

Skills and Aptitude Essential:

✓ Outstanding interpersonal skills ✓ Excellent communication skills in writing, in person and over the telephone ✓ A commitment to customer care and delivering excellent customer service ✓ Ability to analyse and use data to assist in delivering efficient services. ✓ Knowledge of the general data protection regulations and ability to deal with sensitive and

personal information correctly and confidentially ✓ The ability to remain calm, polite and work effectively under pressure ✓ The ability to deal with challenging situations in a calm and professional manner ✓ A positive attitude to being a team leader and ability to meet the needs of the customer service

team ✓ Able to work with the wider team at Taff to ensure effective cross departmental working and

collaboration ✓ Good problem-solving skills

Desirable: ✓ Ability to communicate in Welsh, Somali or Arabic

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The Person – Characteristics Personal Qualities Essential:

✓ A commitment to the Association’s values ✓ A flexible and adaptable approach to duties ✓ The ability to work alone and as part of a team ✓ Demonstrates the ability to improve working practices

Diversity Essential:

✓ Demonstrate and respond to the diverse requirements and needs of individuals ✓ To encourage individuals to value diversity and challenge

Behaviour which undermines the ethos of equality

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Conditions of Service

Salary: £20,041 - £21,281 per annum

Contract Type This is a 12 month fixed term appointment to assist with the large workload in the Customer Service Team.

Working Week 35 hours a week, normally Monday - Friday Flexible working in accordance with our Work life Balance Policy

Annual Leave 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and 4 extra concessionary days (as prescribed by Taff Housing Association).

Location Head Office, Canton, Cardiff. CF5 1JD

References:

Two satisfactory professional references covering the last 3 years; including one from your current employer. (Family members cannot provide references)

Probationary Period: 6 months

For further information about this role contact the People Services Team on 02920 259 173 Closing Date: 9am on Wednesday 26th August 2020

Interviews: Tuesday 1st September 2020

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