Customer Relationship Officer

Job Title: Customer Relationship Officer - Complaints Specialism Pay Rates: £21.53/hr (PAYE) | £29.01/hr (Umbrella) Start: ASAP Length: 3 Months Location: Hackney E8 On Site - 5 Days a week in office We are seeking an adaptable Customer Relationship Officer to manage Stage 1 complaints and customer enquiries within a high-volume council setting. You will act as the crucial first point of contact, balancing multiple inbound communication channels while maintaining exceptional customer care standards. Key Responsibilities Call Handling: Answer dedicated complaints line calls with a cool, clear, and highly professional phone manner. Mediate and de-escalate sensitive customer issues before they turn into formal complaints. Inbox & Webform Management: Manage the busy complaints inbox alongside incoming webforms, ensuring enquiries are accurately logged and triaged. System Management: Log, route, and track cases through the OneCase complaints management system (corporate complaints database). Cross-Department Triage: Liaise with managers across council directorates to gather evidence, combine complex multi-service responses into single answers, and ensure performance targets are met. Quality Assurance: Review and quality-check draft Stage 1 responses to ensure answers are clear, accurate, and aligned with council standards. Multitasking: Balance competing priorities under pressure while maintaining accurate records and meeting statutory deadlines. Requirements & Experience Experience: Minimum 2 years of direct experience handling customer complaints and investigations. Local authority or public sector background is highly desirable. Communication: Outstanding verbal and written communication skills with the ability to convey difficult information with empathy and tact. Technical Skills: Strong proficiency with complaints management databases (OneCase experience preferred) and standard Microsoft Office suites. Mindset: A calm, flexible problem-solver with a knack for negotiating resolutions between dynamic service teams and dissatisfied customers. Education: Minimum GCSE standard in English and Maths. Due to the high volume of applications, only successful candidates will be contacted. Commercial Services Trading Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy