Customer Service Senior Advisor - Apprentice

Customer Service Senior Advisor - Apprentice

This is an exciting opportunity to begin a career in Customer Service. In this role, you will work as part of a fast-paced Customer Service team and also undertake a Level 3 Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship. This is an exciting time to join the CSC as we develop how we deliver an enhanced customer experience for our wide range of customers, alongside a highly valued procurement service for low complexity procurement activities.

An Apprenticeship provides work-based, on the job training and development. The training is fully funded so it doesn't cost you anything – and you'll earn whilst you learn. They provide you with the skills, knowledge and behaviours you need to be fully effective in a designated role. With very few exceptions, you don't need to have related work experience/ qualifications to apply.

What's important throughout the Apprenticeship is that you put into practice what you learn, and capture evidence of this so your progress and increasing capability can be assessed. We want you to get the most out of your Apprenticeship. To help you manage your learning we'll give you, over the duration of the Apprenticeship, a minimum of 20% of your paid working hours to focus on skills development. This means you won't be asked to study in your own time.

However, both the role and the Apprenticeship are very demanding and you'll need to work hard. You will be assessed throughout, and at the end, of your Apprenticeship by submitting coursework, undertaking exams and presenting your work to others.

There is plenty of support, you'll be part of a larger apprentice community and where possible we'll get you involved in apprenticeship related activities, so you'll get to know people outside of your own team or Department.

Further information can be found in the apprenticeship standard for this Apprenticeship Standard – you should read this to see the skills, knowledge and behaviours you will need to have learned by the end of your apprenticeship:

https://skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0071-v1-2

There you can also find a link to the assessment plan. This will give you details of how the apprenticeship is assessed.

This is a development role so to be eligible to apply, the training and development you receive during this apprenticeship must provide you with significant new skills and learning. This is an essential requirement for apprenticeship funding and means you must not already be over-qualified or over-experienced in this type of work.

In addition, you must:

• Not hold or be working towards a similar level or higher level qualification to the apprenticeship UNLESS this is in a significantly different subject/business area.
• Have the permanent right to work in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK/EU/EA for 3 consecutive years before starting the apprenticeship.
• Have left full-time education by the time the apprenticeship starts and not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes (including another apprenticeship).
• 5 x GCSES (or equivalent) including Maths and English at Grade C, 4 or 5 or above (or equivalent).

Please Note:

• If you don't meet the above apprenticeship criteria we cannot progress your application for this role.
• If you are not sure whether or not you meet the criteria please contact recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk

A career in the Procurement Delivery team at CCS is an opportunity to impact the lives of citizens and communities in the UK. As a public procurement professional, you will:

• help to drive economic growth
• foster innovation
• enhance public services

Our commitment to social value and sustainability contributes to the wellbeing of citizens and the preservation of our environment.

Our CCS Customer Service Centre (CSC) teams are at the forefront of helping our customers understand and easily access our services.

We provide an excellent service to customers with 93% of enquiries dealt with at the first point of contact and a net promoter score of +60. We give guidance and support to:

• end users who use our frameworks and services
• commercial specialists in government
• the wider public sector

Our Procurement Delivery team work to ensure compliant procurement activities that add value for our customers, save money for the taxpayer and achieve good policy outcomes. They work with stakeholders to put in place commercial agreements and call-off contracts for the government and the public sector.

The successful candidate will join a team of 22 senior customer service advisors working in a fast paced environment to ensure successful customer experience and service delivery to customers and suppliers who contact the customer service centre.

Key Accountabilities:

• Resolving 2nd line enquiries by phone & email, using product knowledge in a single pillar and working across pillars to share expertise and best practice.
• Develops knowledge bank materials to support the resolution of increasingly complex and higher volumes of enquiries through the Customer Service Centre.
• Ensure the quality of data recorded in CRM CSC systems, delivery, quality assurance reviews where and when required.
• After 6 months in the post, deliver impactful coaching, performance management and day to day management of a team, deliver improving levels of productivity and high quality results.
• Deliver low complexity procurement activities on behalf of CCS customers.
• Providing support in translating customers commercial requirements, into a compliant procurement, which include specific and measurable evaluation criteria.

Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):

• Ability to identify trends and issues, understanding how to create, read and action reports and feedback.
• Ability to work as part of a team and with a customer service ethos.
• A strong communicator who can inspire people to reach their potential through holding impactful team meetings, one to ones and other forms of team contact.
• Understands, supports and is able to embrace targets, Key Performance Indicators and objectives as a standard operating tool with excellent analytical, verbal and written communication skills.

Success Profiles (to be assessed at interview):

• Making effective decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

What we will offer you, here are some of the benefits you can expect:

• Competitive salary
• Generous pension scheme
• A discretionary non-contractual performance related bonus
• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location
• Flexi time scheme (available for B1-B6)
• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

CCS is a flexible business with a smarter working model where our colleagues benefit from a mix of home and office working. Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed. Our current office attendance approach requires a minimum of 26 days per quarter (approx 2 days per week, which may be subject to change) in CCS office locations or offsite meetings with suppliers, customers, partners, networking / industry events. This is pro rata for those who work part time.

Candidates who are successful at sift will be contacted as soon as possible following the closing date and advised of the interview process in more detail. The sift will commence 1st October and interviews will be held WC 13th October either at one of our offices or via video with interview times and dates to be confirmed.