Role Purpose
* Visiting officers provide high level quality, professional and comprehensive visiting collection/assessment service across the Assessment Hub, are adaptable and are able to follow standard operating procedures with limited supervision
* Deliver an effective, efficient and customer focused service in line with Corporate Policies and within national and local legislative requirements.
* Visiting officers should actively support continuous improvement and the implementation of automation and efficient ways of working.
Responsibilities
* Deal with customer enquiries at all levels and follow through to resolution, ensuring all relevant systems are updated and the adequate audit trails are in place.
* Proactively develop skills, understanding and abilities in delivering support services in order to carry out standardised processes in a consistent and efficient manner
* Deal professionally and effectively with all contacts from a wide range of people, using tact and discretion, assessing needs and re-directing enquiries, where appropriate.
* Understand and be responsive to the needs of customers, offering technical assessment and collection advice and guidance both written and verbal, and present a positive and professional image to the customer at all times, ensuring a high standard of customer service
* Maintain clear and up to date records of customer contact and work undertaken across the shared resource and proactively establish areas of specialism within the Assessment Hub
* Provide an accessible customer focused service and effectively engage with vulnerable/challenging customers and situations.
* Maintain a wide knowledge of policies, procedures and statutory legislation and to regularly update that knowledge in order to give correct service information and advice.
* Work as a team to encourage customers to use the council website as a knowledge base and customer portal for financial assessment, income, debt and income maximisation enquiries.
Requirements
* A good understanding of collection, income-related assessments and benefit services delivered across the Council
* A good knowledge of best practice approaches in collection/assessment of income related and other reductions within a local authority environment
* A good understanding of welfare benefits and best practice approaches to aligning decision making with value for money principles
* Business administration/Local Government professional qualification in collection/benefit/welfare reform services or equivalent
* Experience/successful track record of providing a visiting services.
* Adaptable and keen to be part of a pooled resource across the assessment hub
* Experience of dealing with income related and other claims, changes in circumstance and other enquiries within a collection/assessment related environment delivering high quality services