Heather
Age: 26
Lives: Gosberton
How long in Local Government? 4 years
What subjects did you take at school/college/university?
GCSE Maths, English Language, English Literature, German, Science Double Award, History, Textiles
Tell us a little bit about your job and what it involves
Our days in Customer Service vary as we work from a rota. As a Customer Service Advisor my main roles are to answer customer enquiries on the phone, face to face in our booths or via email. We deal with a huge variety of enquiries every day including Housing, Environment, Benefits, Electoral Registration, Council Tax and Planning, to name but a few. In addition to this we also process some of the letters received for each of the service areas and make sure they are logged and sent to the best person to help.
What do you like about working in Local Government/what are the benefits?
My favourite thing about my current role is the variety of work we do and the opportunities for getting involved in other projects. At present, as well as being a Customer Service Advisor, I am:
- Unison Welfare Officer for the South Holland branch
- Unison Health and Safety Representative
- Liaison for Community and Neighbourhood Services (CNS) to raise any issues and keep up to date on changes in procedure
- Contributor to the Shine Task Group working towards improvement in the skill and confidence of staff in the use of our intranet facility
- Candidate on the Leadership Development Programme
- A member of the Customer Service Review panel - to assess the progress of the Centre since it was opened and actively promote further development
- Customer Service Assistant cover - when required I take on the roles at either the switchboard or reception desk in place of an assistant who normally does this work.
What attracted you to working at a local authority?
The variety of people and opportunities here.
What are your career aspirations?
I am quite happy in my present role but if I decided I fancied a change I would look at other jobs available within SHDC as it is a very friendly environment to work in. | 
