Apprentice Customer Services Assistant

Essex County Council

Essex, CO15 1SF

Closes in 12 days (Wednesday 13 November at 11:59pm)

Posted on 31 October 2024

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Contents

Summary

Are you ready to take the first step into a rewarding career in Customer Services? Would you like to work within a friendly and supportive team who values your growth and development? Our Library team at Clacton are now recruiting for a confident, organised and enthusiastic individual to join their team as a Customer Services Apprentice.

Annual wage
£12,348 a year

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

£12,348 per annum rising to £22,072 per annum on the second year

Training course
Customer service practitioner (level 2)
Hours
Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

37 hours a week

Possible start date

Friday 15 November

Duration

1 year 3 months

Positions available

1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

As an Apprentice Customer Services Assistant, you will provide a high level of customer service, working with a wide range of customers, volunteers, stakeholders and partners.

The role will involve welcoming and interacting with customers and identifying their individual needs. As an Apprentice, you will actively seek to meet those needs, providing a quality service which enables customers to make full use of the facilities available.

This position will predominantly be based in Clacton Library, with the occasional need to travel to another library.

Working tasks include:

  • Understand the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes through excellent customer service
  • Provide support and training to customers using information communications technology (ICT) equipment and software
  • Answer telephone enquiries from customers promptly (including operation of a switchboard where appropriate), providing accurate information – including referral to other services as appropriate - in a timely fashion
  • Oversee and provide customers with guidance in the use of self-service equipment
  • Comply with the individual responsibilities for Health Safety & Welfare in the workplace, including ensuring safeguarding children, in accordance with work role
  • Undertake all stock circulation and management procedures, including sorting, shelving and tidying of returned material, reservations, fines, membership and similar activities
  • Contribute to promotional activities, marketing and display work and the achievement of agreed targets for income generation
  • Contribute to the compilation of statistical returns, and any other general administrative duties
  • Responsible for locking and unlocking, as necessary, acting as keyholder
  • Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework

Where you’ll work

Clacton Central Library

96 Station Road

Clacton-On-Sea

Essex

CO15 1SF

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

Your training course

Customer service practitioner (level 2)

Equal to GCSE

Course contents
  • Use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery.
  • Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, along with summarising language during face-to-face communications; and/or
  • Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate communication skills, along with reinforcement techniques (to confirm understanding) during non-facing customer interactions.
  • Depending on your job role and work environment: Use an appropriate ‘tone of voice’ in all communications, including written and digital, that reflect the organisation’s brand.
  • Provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation.
  • Be able to organise yourself, prioritise your own workload/activity and work to meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrate patience and calmness.
  • Show you understand the customer’s point of view.
  • Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet your customers needs and manage expectations.
  • Maintain informative communication during service recovery.

    • Your training plan

    This training plan has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

    Requirements

    Essential qualifications

    GCSE in:

    • English (grade C/4)
    • Maths (grade C/4)

    Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

    Skills

    • Communication skills
    • IT skills
    • Attention to detail
    • Organisation skills
    • Customer care skills
    • Presentation skills
    • Team working
    • Initiative
    • Non judgemental
    • Patience
    • Accurate

    Other requirements

    This position will predominantly be based in Clacton Library, with the occasional need to travel to another library. Company Benefits Include: Healthy work life balance. Wide range of learning and development opportunities. IT equipment and home-working equipment supplied. 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + choice to buy extra. Generous Local Government Salary related pension scheme. Access to hundreds of discounts and benefits through Essex Rewards. Access to our health and wellbeing support platform with LifeWorks. Up to 4 days per year Volunteering leave. Complete a Level 2 Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship to earn a nationally recognised qualification.

    About this company

    At ECC we look after a large, diverse, complex region of the country. But our approach to meeting the needs of our 1.4 million residents is simple. We recruit creative, collaborative, talented people, and free them up to make an impact to be proud of.

    https://workingforessex.com/ (opens in new tab)

    Disability Confident

    Disability Confident

    A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

    You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

    After this apprenticeship

    • ECC is a large and very diverse organisation which believes staff development is critical to our success. Our apprentices have access to a wide variety of career enhancing training and development in preparation for a more advanced role as well as further qualifications if desired
    • We offer excellent career prospects for the right candidate, depending on attitude and performance during the apprenticeship, and over 85% of our apprentices go on to secure permanent roles with us
    • There are many opportunities for future progression and development within Essex County Council

    Ask a question

    The contact for this apprenticeship is:

    ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

    Leon Black

    Leon.Black@essex.gov.uk

    The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000284943.

    Apply now

    Closes in 12 days (Wednesday 13 November at 11:59pm)

    When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.