DWP National Services Telephony Agent Ashton in Makerfield, England
Job description
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Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Are you looking for a career in Customer Service and Administration?
Do you enjoy helping others?
If so, we would like to hear from you.
The DWP has a diverse customer base of around 20 million in communities throughout the UK.
You will be working at the heart of DWP’s front line operations helping to change people lives.
Our telephony agents hold an important role in delivering excellent customer service.
Job description
- Deliver strong telephony and digital communication skills to a diverse range of claimants.
- Assist customers by answering queries or directing them to the appropriate channels/services.
- Promote the use of our digital channels where it is appropriate.
- Ensure at the conclusion of your call that your customer understand the next steps and what they need to do.
- Ensure you record accurate notes of actions taken and advice on next steps.
- Manage telephone calls and national inbox enquiries.
- Identify vulnerable customers and take appropriate action.
- Manage own development, particularly digital ways of working.
- Maintain the security and integrity of customer information.
- Be vigilant in preventing fraud and error.
- Taking prompt action to make referrals to fraud or compliance colleagues when appropriate.
Person specification
- Have good listening skills, be adaptable and treat each customer as an individual.
- Have good verbal and written communication skills.
- Handle customer telephone calls to deliver excellent customer service whilst managing customer expectations.
- Manage your workload and development to keep up to date with Service changes.
- Be able to encourage and support customers to use our digital service.
- Build effective relationship with customers and colleagues to deliver successful outcomes.
- Be able to make informed decisions and communicate this sensitively.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
- Generous annual leave of 23.5 days (Full time) rising to 25 days after 1 year.
- All public bank holidays.
- Flexible working patterns available – specifically, Hybrid working for this role.
- Competitive maternity, paternity, and parental leave.
- Employee Assistance with emphasis on wellbeing.
- Career and Personal Development through Operational Delivery Profession.
- Employee discount schemes.
- Interest free travel loans.
- Vodafone advantage discount scheme.
- Highly sought-after civil service pension.
This job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete the customer service skills test and produce a 250 word behaviour statement on Managing a Quality Service. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Customer Service Skills Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online test and written application as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test is on the 12/05/2023 at 23:55 If you fail to complete the online test and full written applications before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
Please note depending on the volume of applications we may choose to invite those who pass the skills test straight to interview and dispense with the sift stage. For this reason the timeline is subject to change depending on whether a sift will take place or not.
The interview will consist of three behaviour based questions based on the three behaviours listed which will last approximately 30 minutes and will be via MS Teams/Video.
Further details regarding the process will be included in the invite to interview.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences. If evidence of plagiarism is found your application will be withdrawn.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 3 months from which further appointments can be made.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Any move to DWP from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Find out more about Working for DWP
DWP takes development seriously. Our aim is for our colleagues in these roles to be appropriately skilled and qualified – as determined by the business. To support this aim you may be required to undertake a work based qualification, which may be in the form of an apprenticeship, which will support you in further developing your professional knowledge and skills for this role and your future career development. The qualification can be undertaken in work time, you agree to take this job on the basis that you may be required to undertake a work based qualification; a candidate’s failure to participate fully in the professional programme, once appointed, may be a breach of their employment contract.
Important
If you hold a level 3 qualification (2 A levels or equivalent) then please bring your certificates with you to the interview if you have them.
Security Information
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission here to visit Civil Service Commission
