Lincolnshire County Council, LN1

Full time 37 hours per week

£23,895.64 per annum + Benefits 

Serco is one of the leading public sector providers of customer services, working with central and local governments to provide customer-facing and back-office functions. We pride ourselves on a high-quality service, often supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our society – and as one of our Customer Services Advisor you’ll ensure that we continue to deliver this incredibly important work.

The Customer Service Centre is the First Point of Contact for many of Lincolnshire County Councils Services, including Adult Care, Children’s Services, Highways, Registration & Celebratory Services, Library Services. We deliver a diverse range of services, many of which play an important part in people’s lives - whether it is carrying out a Social Care Assessment to enable a resident to stay safely at home, taking a contact to support a Child in Need or simply renewing a library book, it can be hard, but rewarding work.

The Opportunity

We are currently recruiting a Customer Service Advisor for our Children’s Team on the Lincolnshire County Council contract; In this crucial and sensitive role for Children’s’ Services, you’ll be the first point of contact for anyone that calls in to Customer Services to report concerns about a child.  This will include taking calls from members of the public and professionals such as Police Officers, Nurses and School Teachers.  It will be your responsibility to gather as much information and detail from the caller as possible, using your professional curiosity to fact-find information and more importantly to not take anything at face value.  This will all be captured by you, written up against a framework onto our system and then passed over to Children’s Social Care.  The decisions that are made for the children are based on the evidence you have gathered; so, you’ll need your clear, concise, and cool-headed communication style to provide that information.  

The subject matter of the calls can be very difficult, so you’ll naturally need to be a strong and resilient character and be mentally prepared to deal with situations that are sometimes harrowing and distressing. As the first port of call, you’ll also naturally need to be able to adopt an empathetic, caring and compassionate approach.  

You will have exceptional customer service skills, particularly with the ability to build rapport with people in order to gather information accurately whilst talking on the phone.  Lastly, you need to be able to compile information and present it in a logical manner ensuring that it is clear, concise, and error-free. Due to the nature of the role, you will be subject to a DBS check.

You will be dealing with calls from professionals (e.g. Police and Health Services), and from Members of the Public. The calls will be of a sensitive nature and you will be required to gather and process information efficiently and accurately.

To be a successful Children’s Service  Customer Service Advisor you will have a passion for delivering excellent customer service and excellent communication skills.  Candidates will be flexible. Good IT skills with a competency in using Microsoft Office and Windows is also essential! This permanent position is well suited to an individual that is looking to advance their career, with opportunities to progress within the role into a starting salary of £23,895.64.

If you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, with plenty of variety with the chance to learn new things, then this is the role for you!

Where will I work?

Our offices are based in Lincoln City Centre at Lancaster House and we do offer agile working opportunities once you’re settled in and fully trained. The office is perfectly situated for travel via public transport and there is a discounted car parking scheme in operation if you chose to drive.  

What hours will I work?

Due to the nature of the role, you will need to be flexible to work between the hours of 8:00 am and 6:00 pm Monday to Friday.   Where relevant you may be asked to work 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on a Saturday.   

What training will I be given?

You will be given a full Serco Induction and then move onto service specific training; training is delivered from service matter experts from within the CSC Children’s Team, the CSC Training Team and Lincolnshire County Council.

What we offer:  

• Starting salary £23,895.64 per annum with opportunities to progress
• Competitive pension scheme; matched up to 6% and Life Insurance
• Agile working opportunities 
• 25 days annual leave in addition to bank holiday, plus the opportunity to buy up to an additional 5 days per annum
• Access to employee support services 
• Inclusion in our Local Government Partnership Engagement activities throughout the year
• Serco discounts which include cinema, Merlin entertainment and online shopping discounts, cycle to work scheme, and discounts on mobile phone plans and leisure centre memberships;

• The chance to make a positive difference to public sector services in a company passionate about diversity and inclusion  

Why Serco?

Meaningful and vital work: The nature of our business means you will do interesting work that matters – delivering essential services that truly touch people’s lives;

A world of opportunity: Our diverse UK-wide operations offer unrivalled opportunities to learn and develop. You’ll be able to broaden your experience and apply your skills in new ways;

Great people: We are a motivated team who will encourage you and help you to succeed. You’ll have the resources you need to do your job in a diverse and supportive environment.

If you think this role would suit you, working to improve the lives of those who need it the most, please apply now and upload a copy of your CV and covering letter to register your interest for future roles.

At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services.  We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks – SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging. 

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment. 

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.  For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.
 

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the ‘Ban the Box’ pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.