Post Title: Customer Service Advisor

Section: Customer Services

Salary: Grade 3 (£23,074 - £24,469 pa pro rata)

Location: Sittingbourne, Kent

Contract Type: Part-time/Permanent

Part-time post: 18.5hrs (Monday/Tuesday 9am-5pm & Friday 9am-1pm)

We have an exciting opportunity for a part-time Customer Service Advisor to join our busy team, helping the people of Swale access the services we deliver. Customer service is the frontline of the organisation, transacting with residents predominantly over the phone. Other methods of contact include emails, social media, and some face-to-face contact.

Are you…?

- Computer literate with experience of working in a contact centre or a similar environment where telephony is the main channel of communication
- Articulate and a good communicator with interpersonal skills
- Able to listen effectively, showing patience and empathy
- Adaptable and calm under pressure
- Able to work alone but also work as part of a team
- Able to demonstrate a positive approach to understanding the customer experience and committed to providing excellent customer service

About the Role

Being the first point of contact for the council, you will be providing a professional interface between the customer and the organisation, mainly by telephone. This requires active listening and empathy, responding to a variety of enquiries on behalf of different services, through the differing contact methods. Experience delivering Revenues and Benefits telephony service would be advantageous, but not essential.

With supporting customers at the heart of the job, in what at times is a fast-paced role, you will need to have great communication skills, as well as a respectful approach.

This is a part-time position, and with the nature of the role, resource is required to support the business needs in accordance with the council’s opening times and peak periods of demand, so the working pattern is as follows:

Part-time post: 18.5hrs per week
(Monday/Tuesday 9am-5pm & Friday 9am-1pm)

About Swale Borough Council

Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent, involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset, and we’re committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times, we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a highly flexible hybrid working policy, along with a 34-hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work-life balance are high on our agenda.

Our Offer

A range of benefits, including:

- Generous holiday entitlement, which increases after 5 years' LG service, plus bank holidays, with the option to buy additional leave
- An additional three days’ leave given to enable a closure of the offices between Christmas and New Year
- Free parking
- Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
- Employee Assistance Programme, which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
- Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family
- Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
- Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/bus journey, to & from work
- Lease car salary sacrifice scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing, and road tax
- Annual flu vaccine
- Cycle to work scheme
- Staff benefits, including discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
- Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
- A professional fee payment, if required for the role

About You

Key requirements:

- Educated to GCSE standard (or equivalent, including English & Maths at a grade 4 or above)
- Experience in an office-based customer service environment (a minimum of 6 months in a contact centre or similar role where call handling is the predominant contact channel)
- The ability to work on various computer systems at the same time. You will need accurate keyboard skills with the ability to talk and type at the same time (a quick typing speed would be ideal)
- Excellent communication skills, including listening and using simple language, with the ability to remain calm and professional
- Revenues and Benefits knowledge is desirable but not essential

The Council considers these to be customer-focused roles, and the ability to converse at ease with customers, adapting communication style to suit differing audiences, and providing advice in accurate spoken English is fundamental to the role.

Selection Process

Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those who are successful in securing an interview can expect a job-specific interview assessment by telephone, followed by an interview for successful candidates.

Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Carol Sargeant, Customer Service Manager.

To apply for the position, please select the button shown.

Closing Date: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Telephone Interview Date: Monday, 27 October 2025
Interview Date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025