Contact Centre Officer

Full time opportunities (average of 37 hours per week), working a rotating shift pattern of 6 on 4 off (2 early's, 2 lates and 2 nights), covering a 24 hour period 7 days a week, based in Chelmsford. Initial training may be based in Chigwell or Chelmsford. Please note that public transport does not serve Chigwell site, therefore you must have access to your own transportation. Transport provision/support may be available if required.

The salary for this role is £27,204 to £29,859 per annum exclusive of shift and weekend working allowance, (up to £32,644 to £35,830 per year inclusive of 20% shift allowance, when the full range of shift patterns are worked), this role will still operate on a rotating shift pattern covering a 24/7 period 365 days per year.

About the role

Be the first point of contact for emergency and non-emergency contact to the police service, both from members of the public and partner agencies. Receive and critically assess all types of contacts including 999, 101 telephone calls, and other types of contacts, online or in person, maintaining high levels of customer service, manage customer expectations and meet national and organisational service level agreements and take appropriate response action.

What will you be doing?

• Identify the purpose and nature of each contact by eliciting relevant and sufficient information to enable an accurate and timely assessment of appropriate means of resolution.
• Assess Threat, Harm, and Risk, and identify the appropriate action to resolve or determine the appropriate agency, deployment grading, and priority of contacts.
• Manage customer expectations regarding the service that can be provided by giving advice and taking appropriate action.
• Maintain accurate records of relevant information using appropriate systems to ensure an audit trail and to measure and improve performance.

What qualifications and experience do you need?

• GCSE in English at grade C or above, or equivalent qualification.
• Previous experience of working within a call centre or customer service environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills are essential in order to communicate with those contacting the police, deal assertively and courteously with all enquires whilst managing expectations.
• The ability to learn and use a variety of computer based systems as the post holder will be required to become proficient in the use of Essex Police systems including command and control, crime recording and intelligence, as well as national police databases.
• Ability to work flexibly on a shift pattern that covers working 24 hours a day, all year round.
• To be able to work effectively as part of a team without supervision.

Note for potential candidates:-

Location of the role is based at Essex Police HQ, Chelmsford. or Great Dunmow, Essex. If you do not have a driving licence, we recommend checking public transport to ensure you are able to attend all shifts, as public transport is very limited early morning and late nights.

Please note: Training may be held at different police premises within Essex, so you must be prepared to attend different locations. We have a fall back location based at Great Dunmow and Chigwell that is used occasionally, you will need to ensure that you are able to attend all locations and when required, dependent on operational requirements..

To view the full job description, please click here.

All of our posts require a level of vetting and security clearance. During the recruitment process you will be sent vetting information forms to complete.

Essex Police welcomes applications regardless of age, disability, marital status (including civil partnerships), pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender, sex (or gender), employment status.

Please let us know if you require extra support at any stage of the application process, or for further information regarding this position, please email us at recruitment.business.services@ecis.police.uk stating ‘Application Support and Adjustments’ in the title of your email. Alternatively, you can call us on 01245 452833. Where appropriate we will make adjustments to the selection process, working arrangements and/or the working environment provided it is reasonable in all the circumstances to do so.

This post is open to British Citizens, members of the EC or other states in the European Economic Area. If you are a Commonwealth citizen or a foreign national, you must be a resident in the UK free of restrictions and with indefinite leave to remain in the UK. All applications must have lived in the UK continuously for the past three years.

Essex Police is an equal opportunities employer. Communications may be recorded for monitoring purposes.