Job Title: Customer Support Officer – Collections

Salary: £22,000 to £23,500

Location: Shirley (hybrid working available)

Description:

Due to expansion, our client, a well-respected and long-established financial services company based in Shirley, is recruiting an experienced Customer Support Officer to join their Collections Team.

The purpose of the role is to provide an exceptional level of customer service, positively communicate, assist and support all customers throughout their journey with Paragon. Identifying early signs of financial difficulty and positively engaging with customers to offer and explain the wide range of forbearance tools available.

This will involve dealing with both verbal and written communication with customers and authorised third parties.

Key Duties:

• Deal empathetically with customers whilst questioning and probing to understand their circumstances
• Examine accounts in arrears, and up-to-date accounts, and work with customers to proactively identify; vulnerable/sensitive customers, customers experiencing financial hardship or a customer making a complaint, referring to specialist teams where applicable
• Handle escalated calls from customers to ensure that complex queries and complaints are handled swiftly and effectively by making decisions on the correct course of action for an account
• Understand the reason and likely timeframe of financial hardship and make suitable / sustainable arrangements with customers
• Communicate with customers / authorised third parties to agree and monitor payment arrangements in line with the CLS forbearance policy and the customers affordability
• Monitor Judgment / orders cases to ensure that payments are made as ordered
• Communicate and provide accurate information in a timely manner by relevant methods internally and externally in line with company policy and procedures
• Identify customer needs and complete required actions in accordance with departmental processes and procedures
• Manage, organise and update relevant information onto databases
• Become conversant and adhere to all departmental and processes and procedures
• Perform all tasks within the agreed CLS service levels
• Represent the organisation in a highly professional manner at all times
• Operate on an automated inbound and outbound dialling system
• Embrace changes to policy and procedures and use own initiative to challenge potential barriers and provide the most appropriate outcome for the customer
• Achieve personal objectives
• Pro-actively identify and report risk events to the relevant risk champion

Key Skills/Experience Required:

• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, ability to empathise, and challenge processes and work approaches appropriately
• Ability to use own initiative and work as an effective team member
• Ability / experience to identify and probe effectively where vulnerability / complaint or other underlying reasons are suspected
• Ability to recognize when to adapt communication style to suit the customer or colleague
• Problem analysis and problem solving with an attention to detail and accuracy
• IT aptitude and the ability to learn appropriate systems
• Adaptability and the ability to remain calm under pressure
• A passionate “can do” attitude
• Grade C or above GCSE (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics

In return for your hard work, you will earn a salary of between £22,000 and £23,500 plus excellent benefits.

For more information, or to apply for this vacancy, please get in touch.

Morgan Parkes Recruitment Ltd operate in the UK and can only process applications from candidates who are currently eligible to live and work in the UK. We operate a strict equal opportunities policy.

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