Collections Agent
- Recruiter
- Thames Water
- Location
- Swindon
- Salary
- Competitive
- Posted
- 10 Jun 2021
- Closes
- 18 Jun 2021
- Sectors
- Customer Service & Call Centre
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
About the role
As we are an essential service we are continuing to operate throughout the Covid19 pandemic, all of our employees have continued to work throughout this period with our support which has included increased flexibility and Covid secure office environments.
This is an exciting time in the Financial Customer Care department, as we grow and develop our function internally. We're transforming the way our internal collections team operate to get the most value out of the ways we work.
In this role, you will support customers through inbound and outbound calls to reach fair and consistent outcomes while safeguarding Thames Water from preventable loss. Our customer-first approach means ensuring you fully understand their situation and affordability when organising payments and payment plans.
This is a shift based role; 36 hours per week between the hours of 8am to 8pm and working 1 in 3 Saturdays from 8am -1pm with a day off in lieu in the week.
Key areas of accountability will include:
To receive incoming and make outbound calls to customers providing a personalised customer experience within a busy contact centre environment
Our customer service centre is a fun, fast-paced environment where no two days will be the same. You will be working with like-minded people who really want to make a difference. We like to recognise the great work that our people do for our customers and so we have a variety of recognition schemes such as the star of the week and employee of the month. Thames Water is a place where you can grow your career - the training you're given when you start will give you a fantastic grounding to develop your future career in collections or move into one of our other many functions. The range of opportunities is huge.
And we're proud to be here for our local community around Swindon, offering all of our teams two days paid volunteer leave a year, as well as proudly supporting a lot of local events and charities. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved whether it's a team bake-off, taking part in the Thames Water pantomime or supporting our annual raft race for WaterAid.
Our competitive salary package includes an excellent contributory pension, 24 days holiday per year increasing to 28 with the length of service and a wider benefits scheme. This includes an annual pay review, season ticket loans, voucher scheme giving you money off in major retail outlets, loyalty awards for continuous service plus much more, including our referral scheme, where you can receive GBP750 for helping someone get a permanent position within the company.
About us:
Thames Water is the UK's largest water and wastewater company. We make a daily difference to millions of customers by supplying 2.7 billion litres of world-class water to around 10 million homes.
As our world changes, the need to take care of our most precious resource is greater than ever, both locally and globally. That's why, at Thames Water, every one of our actions, big and small, matters every day. Water is essential to daily life, and that means our business is always open. We're passionate about providing world-class tap water, now and for the future.
We're also turning waste into power, self-generating 20% of the energy we use and, in turn, doing our bit for the planet. We're reducing plastic waste by celebrating our tap water and rolling out an ambitious water fountain project. We're using our voice to lobby for change and partnering with WaterAid to provide clean water to the world's poorest communities.
Together, we're building a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work. If you join our team, you'll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and unparalleled benefits. We're also proud to be an equal opportunity employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion and Disability Confident Leader, welcoming individuals from all walks of life and leading the way with award-winning mental health and well-being strategy.
As we are an essential service we are continuing to operate throughout the Covid19 pandemic, all of our employees have continued to work throughout this period with our support which has included increased flexibility and Covid secure office environments.
This is an exciting time in the Financial Customer Care department, as we grow and develop our function internally. We're transforming the way our internal collections team operate to get the most value out of the ways we work.
In this role, you will support customers through inbound and outbound calls to reach fair and consistent outcomes while safeguarding Thames Water from preventable loss. Our customer-first approach means ensuring you fully understand their situation and affordability when organising payments and payment plans.
This is a shift based role; 36 hours per week between the hours of 8am to 8pm and working 1 in 3 Saturdays from 8am -1pm with a day off in lieu in the week.
Key areas of accountability will include:
To receive incoming and make outbound calls to customers providing a personalised customer experience within a busy contact centre environment
- Understanding customer needs in order to provide the right outcome for both us and the customer
- Ensure you identify vulnerable customers and offer the appropriate support
- Help customers resolve billing queries or disputes
- Contribute to the success of the department by achieving personal targets and quality measures
- Presenting a professional image to Customers, Clients and Colleagues
- Thrive in an environment where Treating Customers Fairly is paramount
- To reflect on the latest Thames Water business updates and activities to understand and anticipate the customer impact and how you can mitigate this through your customer interaction
- Carry out accurate customer resolution activity and customer updates that comply with company processes and regulatory requirements exceeding minimum performance standards
- To continually look at ways of improving our customer experience through process improvements or behaviours and raising these improvements through the correct channels to drive action. Using the customer feedback and insight you will gain in a proactive and constructive way to drive the continuous improvement of the delivery of customer outcomes
- The ability to solve problems and support customers who are experiencing financial difficulties
- The ability to empathise and actively listen to our customers
- Strong listening skills and a confident communicator
- Resilience while supporting customers with difficult issues
- Effective negotiation skills (after training).
- The ability to work within structured processes managing tasks efficiently and effectively
- Sound basic knowledge of Excel, Outlook and Word
Our customer service centre is a fun, fast-paced environment where no two days will be the same. You will be working with like-minded people who really want to make a difference. We like to recognise the great work that our people do for our customers and so we have a variety of recognition schemes such as the star of the week and employee of the month. Thames Water is a place where you can grow your career - the training you're given when you start will give you a fantastic grounding to develop your future career in collections or move into one of our other many functions. The range of opportunities is huge.
And we're proud to be here for our local community around Swindon, offering all of our teams two days paid volunteer leave a year, as well as proudly supporting a lot of local events and charities. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved whether it's a team bake-off, taking part in the Thames Water pantomime or supporting our annual raft race for WaterAid.
Our competitive salary package includes an excellent contributory pension, 24 days holiday per year increasing to 28 with the length of service and a wider benefits scheme. This includes an annual pay review, season ticket loans, voucher scheme giving you money off in major retail outlets, loyalty awards for continuous service plus much more, including our referral scheme, where you can receive GBP750 for helping someone get a permanent position within the company.
About us:
Thames Water is the UK's largest water and wastewater company. We make a daily difference to millions of customers by supplying 2.7 billion litres of world-class water to around 10 million homes.
As our world changes, the need to take care of our most precious resource is greater than ever, both locally and globally. That's why, at Thames Water, every one of our actions, big and small, matters every day. Water is essential to daily life, and that means our business is always open. We're passionate about providing world-class tap water, now and for the future.
We're also turning waste into power, self-generating 20% of the energy we use and, in turn, doing our bit for the planet. We're reducing plastic waste by celebrating our tap water and rolling out an ambitious water fountain project. We're using our voice to lobby for change and partnering with WaterAid to provide clean water to the world's poorest communities.
Together, we're building a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work. If you join our team, you'll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and unparalleled benefits. We're also proud to be an equal opportunity employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion and Disability Confident Leader, welcoming individuals from all walks of life and leading the way with award-winning mental health and well-being strategy.