Customer Contact Centre Advisor

The Independent Office for Police Conduct exists to investigate complaints fairly and thoroughly. The IOPC has the power to initiate, carry out and oversee investigations. It is also responsible for monitoring the way complaints are handled by local police forces.

As Customer Contact Centre Advisor within the IOPC you can expect to work in a progressive and dynamic organisation with declared and strong core values. The work will be fulfilling and offer considerable opportunities for personal growth and satisfaction.

As a Customer Contact Centre Advisor, you will be welcomed into a dynamic and inclusive customer focused team working representing the IOPC as the first point of contact to the organisation, presenting a professional image providing accurate advice and information to a range of external customers and stakeholders. The IOPC

is on a journey to develop its culture, perspectives and ethos to support the organisations core outcomes and this is your opportunity to enter into the varied world of IOPC customer service, allowing you to develop your mindset and approaches to contribute to improving the police complaints system in England and Wales.

Working as part of the Customer Contact Centre you will have a spectrum of responsibilities that encompass all elements of the contact centre. This will include providing a responsive telephone information service, responding to correspondence and complaints received from a range of external parties, including members of the public, police forces, MPs, solicitors and other agencies.

You will be expected to support the delivery of excellent customer service, providing the best possible experience with the approach of getting it right first time to manage customer expectation and to reduce avoidable contact. The complexity of enquiry or complaint will vary as will the demand of work at any one time. You will work within a defined framework and fulfil individual targets to maximise contribution to team and directorate performance.

• Provide a responsive service to a range of customer queries and complaints ensuring prompt resolution of issues received by phone/email/letter/online form.
• Process direct complaints received from members of the public to the appropriate police force or authority with minimal handling and representation.
• Be alert to and identify high profile matters and matters of public interest, and direct complaints that it may be appropriate not to forward to the force because of exceptional circumstances, and draw these to the attention of the Customer Contact Centre Manager.
• Establish customer needs and provide appropriate information - which may range from advising on the role of the IOPC, the process for making a complaint or appeal to more general requests for information or signposting to other agencies
• Respond to comebacks, complaints, MPs letters and other correspondence.
• Take ownership of calls, queries and complaints, seeking to resolve issues to reduce subsequent contact providing the best possible experience for the customer
• Where appropriate, liaise with internal and external stakeholders regarding complaints and information received and recognising where information is significantly complex or sensitive and handling the information as appropriate.
• Identify and collate trends data information on potentially high profile issues
• Deal with customers that can often be angry, distressed, and sometimes challenging but remaining courteous and have the ability to see things from the customer point of view to ensure a consistent and fair service is provided to all
• Alongside signposting complainants to advocacy and advice services where they can receive assistance in making a complaint, the post holder may need to take down the details of complaints and appeals over the phone in accordance with the IOPC Reasonable Adjustment policy. This relates particularly to callers that may have an access or communication needs.
• Keep up to date with organisational issues and events, including press releases, report releases, changes to organisational practices to ensure knowledge is current in order to provide appropriate advice.
• Resolve queries first time to reduce subsequent contact providing the best possible experience for the customer.
• Record accurate enquiry and complaint information on relevant case and customer relationship management systems.
• Process and respond to Report Line contacts from serving Police Officers.
• Deal with whistleblowing allegations and liaise with the internal department regarding any whistleblowing.
• Any other duties suitable to the grade, which may include administrative support, assisting more senior staff with face to face interactions with member of the public, post.
• Considering the validity of appeals received out of time and communicating the decision to the appellant and force, using clear guidance and standard template letters. Identifying any unusual, contentious or difficult cases and seeking appropriate advice to enable a sound decision to be taken.
• Train and assist new members of the team where appropriate.

Essential

• Evidence of strong oral and written communication skills
• Confidence and ability to communicate with people at all levels
• Ability to be patient, resilient, sensitive and diplomatic when dealing with the public and stakeholders
• A capacity to conduct enquiries, obtain information and to use sound judgement to reach conclusions

Experience

• Proven relevant experience of working in a customer focused advice or information handling environment
• Experience of dealing with challenging people over the phone
• Experience of responding to customer queries and complaints in writing

Skills and Abilities

• Good organisational skills and ability to manage own workload
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and database systems