Customer Relations Officer

Ongo Job Title: Customer Relations Officer Department: Property Services Team: Homes & Property £23,820 + % increase for 2024 to be confirmed Responsible to: Customer Relations and Service Improvement Manager

Overall Purpose of Job To support the Customer Relations and Service Improvement manager in the delivery of customer care and support for residents across the Property Services portfolio liaising with tenants regarding improvement, repair and development work, ensuring their individual satisfaction, and assist all areas of the team with complaints and provide customer excellence. To support the Customer Relations and Service Improvement Manager in identifying trends in dissatisfaction and developing strategies for further learning and service improvement. Main Responsibilities:

• To provide positive and effective communication with customers and contractors/suppliers

• Assist all areas of property services in effectively dealing with complaints/disputes ensuring they are handled in line with Ongo’s values, policies and procedures.

• Analyse satisfaction, complaints and any other relevant data for the purposes of further learning and service improvement

• Monitor and action maintenance satisfaction surveys – identify areas for or improvement where relevant and assist in implementing process changes

• Support and deputise for the Customer Relations and Service Improvement where requested to feedback satisfaction survey data to internal teams and external contractors/suppliers to ensure dissatisfaction is addressed in a timely manner and monitored on a regular basis

• To raise and monitor disrepair works to ensure they are carried out as per the schedule of works. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to establish that works are completed and meet relevant legislative deadlines. To maintain clear and up to date records of all cases and lessons learnt.

• Assist with the monitoring, closure and assessment of outstanding or ongoing damp and mould cases

• Work with the Customer Relations and Service Improvement Manager to identify trends with complaints and disrepairs put in place corrective actions to ensure there is no recurrence

• Carry out follow up visits to customers and tenants that have taken residence in new developments

• Regular liaison with the tenant’s prior, during and upon completion of improvement, development or repair works to ensure an excellent customer journey.

• Work with the community through tenant groups and public meeting to bring potential investment/development/improvement projects to the attention of all parties.

• Deliver, collect and record satisfaction surveys for projects and developments. Identify trends and report all findings to the Customer Relations & Service Improvement Manager.

• Attend all meetings as required relevant to the role, from internal to external meetings with relevant stakeholders.

• Planned works – assist the Project Team in communicating with customer effectively and ensuring they are made aware of upcoming planner works.

• Assist with residents requiring respite support during major improvement works and ensure it is delivered to meet timescales and residents needs.

• Visit residents in their homes to assess their needs prior to improvement work and establish their choices for kitchens/bathrooms etc.

• The post holder will be expected to be aware of safeguarding vulnerable adults and children and report any concerns via Ongo’s Safeguarding policies and procedures.

Knowledge Skills and Experience Required

• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels, both orally and in writing
• Ability to organise public meetings and present information in a clear manner.
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Good communication skills, both oral and written
• High level of interpersonal skills
• Dedicated to the provision of a quality service
• Excellent problem solving skills
• ICT skills – ability to utilise and navigate spreadsheets, analyse and extract data
• Ability to develop and effectively utilise information systems
• Computer literate with strong skills in letter writing and use of email systems
• Ability to prioritise own workload and to work accurately under pressure to meet conflicting deadlines
• Good financial skills
• The post holder must be able to drive and have a vehicle available at all times
• Clear commitment to customer focus, equality, diversity and inclusion
• Clear commitment to continuous improvement

Decision Making - Discretion

• Identify merits of low level compensation claims up to £500 for managers approval
• Identify respite care needs up to the value of £2000 for managers approval
• Liaise with Customer Relations and Service Improvement Manager to decide on the most appropriate support package for residents with diverse needs.
• Able to make timely and effective decisions.
• Identify trends of dissatisfaction to be addressed with internal teams and external suppliers/contractors
• Review schedule of works for disrepairs and determine how to assign the works whether internally or to an external contractor to ensure that works progress as required in line with the disrepair case actions and legislative deadlines
• Determine whether recommended disrepair jobs are carried out with the support of the Repairs Area Manager if required.
• Monitor the progress of disrepair claim works and follow up with internal teams and external contractors to ensure works are completed
• To assess and make decision on escalation of no access issues in relation to disrepair cases Decision Making – Consequences
• Reduce likelihood of initial expressions of dissatisfaction being escalated to formal complaints which reduces future pressure on resource and prevent further costs/reputational impact
• Make timely decisions on resident welfare during works programmes to ensure the well-being and safety of residents. To avoid injury to the resident and the chance of adverse publicity
• Ability to make timely and effective decisions on compensation and complaints to ensure best use of resources and limit exposure to financial cost.
• Use of initiative to determine priorities when dealing with problems and queries.
• Ensure disrepair works are assigned appropriately dependent of scale of works and reduce the risk of becoming disorganised and negatively impacting the progress of the case and therefore risk not meeting our legal requirements and incurring further costs
• Reduce the risk of jeopardizing Ongos position in relation to disrepair claims which could incur further costs and/or reputational damage
• Making decisions to escalate no access issues to minimise impact on tenants and any further risk to the business both reputational and financially.

Contacts and Relationships

• The post holder will participate as an active member of the Property team and provide services cross cutting all sections.
• Support the Customer Relations and Service Improvement Manager working in partnership with contractors and customers to ensure the service is responsive in following the ethos of best value whilst maintaining the highest level of customer focus.
• The post holder will liaise with all levels of management and employees / workers throughout the business, also client and tenants of all diversity.
• Members of the public and residents forum's periodically in supporting resident’s initiatives and providing general support.
• Councillors occasionally to deal with arising issues and signposting.
• The tradesmen of Ongo Homes on a daily basis dealing with general issues and correcting poor practice.
• Contacts with partner contractors on a daily basis in achieving the highest standard of customer liaison on behalf of Ongo Homes
• Customer Experience Team staff daily to deal with workflows and complaints
• Residents and customers daily to provide support assess respite needs and to deal with complaints and compensation claims.

Creativity and Innovation

• Prioritising workloads to meet deadlines.
• Using initiative to ensure value for money is achieved.
• Attend forums to interact with residents undergoing improvement programmes and use feedback to improve service delivery.
• And promote in the media and to the wider resident audience the improvement programmes and benefits Ongo Homes intend to deliver to its customers.

Responsibility for Resources

• You will have access to IT systems which could contain personal and sensitive data which must therefore remain confidential and protected.
• General office and equipment
• Laptop
• Smartphone

Work Environment Work Demands

• Ability to work flexible and on occasions outside normal working hours.
• Lone working may be required for significant periods of time for certain aspects of the role.
• The post holder will be required to meet strict deadlines to ensure service delivery.

Physical Demands

• Normal physical demands associated with an office environment.
• The ability to travel around estates and carry out site visits.
• The ability to work outside at all times of the year.

Working Conditions

• The post may be field based for significant periods and requires the ability to travel to sites across the North Lincolnshire region and surrounding local authority areas as required.
• You will be required frequently to visit occupied and unoccupied properties to carry out customer liaison visits.
• You may be required to occasionally attend events, meetings or conferences relevant to the post which may be situated outside of North Lincolnshire. Work Context
• The post holder will be required to visit members of the public to deal with contentious issues in their homes and attend site as necessary.
• There will be times when attending public meetings that situations could become tense.
• There will be at times risk to personal safety the nature of which is needles and substances found in Void and tenanted properties. There may also be risk from violence on estates from members of the public.

Health & Safety To be aware of risks to personal safety, other employees, customers, company property and company reputation and to highlight such risks to managers immediately.

Environment and Sustainability

• To ensure the environment and sustainability policies are understood by the post holder
• To promote the importance of considering the environment and sustainability in the role
• To treat the environment with respect and commit to ensuring all services/activities that are provided in this role have taken the impact on the environment into consideration/action plans

Risk Management To be able to identify risks that may affect the achievement of personal and service objectives. To support the organisation's risk management process through good communication and carrying out actions to reduce identified risks.

Equality & Diversity

• To promote equality and diversity amongst our stakeholders, residents, customers, clients, staff, board and committee members and all those we work with.
• To ensure all customers’ needs are understood and all services that are provided meet individual needs, including in relation to the protected characteristics and customers with additional support needs. To treat everyone with dignity and respect at all times. Position in Organisation How many staff is the employee responsible for? None

Notice Period One month