Salary: Band 5, £24,360 - £25,353 (any hours worked after 7pm, and on a weekend attract an additional allowance, equating to a potential £31,246 - £32,520 with shift and weekend allowances based on the standard shift pattern)
Location: Ponteland
Hours: Full Time, to view the shift pattern click here we’re happy to discuss any individual circumstances if you require some flexibility
The Role
It’s our people that make TeamNP a truly exciting and inclusive place to work – a place where you can let your skills shine. Our teams are critical to our success, driven to deliver and always go the extra mile.
We have a fantastic opportunity to us as a Customer Services Specialist within the Customer Service Centre based at Ponteland. This dedicated unit is first point of contact for many of our customers by telephone or one of our many digital channels, and your engagement will define the service they receive from Northumbria Police.
Using effective communication, the team deliver an outstanding customer service experience in response to all public interactions, acting where possible to resolve queries at first contact and providing professional advice and effective signposting. With customer service at the heart of everything we do, and using a problem-solving approach, we aim to resolve many queries during that first contact.
What you’ll do
The team receives customer contact via 101 as well as through numerous digital platforms such as web chat and online reporting forms and in the future, this will include social media reporting. Every contact is different, some of which will be an emergency and will require the customer service specialist to identify, assess and mitigate risk to ensure the correct response is allocated. You will handle contact from members of the public experiencing a wealth of emotions and need to be able to adapt your style to meet their needs.
You will also deal with police officers, professionals, and partner agencies.
As a Customer Service Specialist, we will support you in developing an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the organisation. You will need a have a desire to resolve the customer’s query at first point of contact, ensuring excellent customer service and demand reduction to other departments.
Working within a busy department, you must be able to work well under pressure and resilient to change.
The current shift is a three-week pattern working Monday - Sunday, with shifts between 8am - 11pm. You will work a combination of day and late shifts; however, this pattern is likely to change in the future to include some nightshift working.
Our training course is full time Monday – Friday 0800 – 1600 for five weeks, there is a requirement that you can attend this course for the full duration and to be able to be mentored full time for a further five weeks, without any periods of leave being taken. The next course date is May 2023.
Visits to NCC, CSC and SCC are available on the below dates and set session times. These sessions will be conducted as a group introduction to the Communication Department, with Q&A opportunity. NCC and CSC are located within the Training & Communications Centre, Ponteland and SCC is located within South Shields Police Station.
• Thursday 30th March – 10am / 2pm
• Friday 31st March – 10am / 2pm
• Monday 3rd April – 10am / 2pm
• Tuesday 4th April – 10am / 2pm
Please contact Digital Contact Service Manager 4084 Lorna Thomson with details of location and preferred session date and time as soon as practicable for inclusion in the group visits.
What you’ll bring
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport quickly.
• A passion for problem-solving.
• The ability to assess and understand key information.
• Confidence to multitask, recording information accurately with attention to detail.
• IT competence across a range of applications.
We know it's important for you to feel that you're not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.
Interested to learn more? For further information about the role please contact Judith Coulter, Customer Service Team Leader via email Judith.Coulter@northumbria.police.uk
Just so you know
Applicants that have priority status, in line with the recruitment prioritisation matrix, will be considered for roles first.
For any queries about the application process, please contact our Talent Acquisition Team by email at careers@northumbria.police.uk
All staff must successfully complete their probationary period before they are eligible to apply for a Northumbria Police vacancy.
If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Recruitment Vetting (RV) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references.