Job Details

Senior Customer Services Officer – Council Tax & Benefits

Location: Enfield
Working Pattern: Hybrid – 2 days per week at the Civic Centre, with home working. Additional office days may be required depending on service needs.
Hours: 9:00am–5:00pm, Monday to Friday

About the Role

Enfield Council is looking for an experienced Senior Customer Services Officer – Council Tax & Benefits to join the Customer Operations team.

You will work within the contact centre, providing specialist support to residents through telephone and webchat, dealing with Council Tax, Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit enquiries.

This is a specialist customer-facing role, requiring strong knowledge of Council Tax billing, collection and recovery, as well as Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support. You will handle complex enquiries, resolve issues at first point of contact wherever possible and provide clear, accurate advice to residents.

You will also act as a subject matter expert, supporting colleagues with more complex enquiries and helping newer members of the team develop their knowledge.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality customer service across telephone and webchat.
• Deal with a wide range of Council Tax, Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit enquiries.
• Provide specialist advice on complex Council Tax matters, including billing, collection, recovery, payment arrangements and payment plans.
• Explain Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support awards, entitlement and decisions clearly to customers.
• Advise customers on relevant discretionary schemes, including Discretionary Housing Payments and Council Tax hardship support.
• Identify vulnerable customers and provide appropriate support or signposting to organisations such as DWP, Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice and welfare support services.
• Investigate customer accounts and enquiries using relevant Revenues and Benefits systems.
• Navigate Civica Open Revenues and D360 to investigate and resolve queries efficiently.
• Ensure customer records, notes and information are accurately recorded on Council systems.
• Handle escalated and complex enquiries, taking ownership through to resolution wherever possible.
• Recognise when cases need to be escalated to specialist service teams.
• Support colleagues by providing technical advice and acting as a Council Tax/Benefits subject matter expert.
• Assist with the shadowing and training of new members of staff.
• Provide cover across customer service channels, including face-to-face services when required.
• Respond to customer enquiries through digital channels, including webchat, website feedback and social media.
• Contribute to customer feedback and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Participate in UAT testing and low-level project work when required.
• Identify errors, duplicated information or process issues and help develop improvements to the customer journey.
• Maintain high standards of confidentiality, accuracy and professionalism when dealing with customer information.

Essential Experience & Skills

The successful candidate will have:

• Previous local authority experience within a customer-facing/contact centre environment.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience of Council Tax.
• Experience of Council Tax Support and/or Housing Benefits.
• Experience dealing with complex customer enquiries and providing technical advice.
• Experience acting as a subject matter expert or providing support to colleagues.
• Ability to investigate and interrogate Revenues and Benefits systems quickly and accurately.
• Experience setting up or advising on payment plans and payment arrangements.
• Ability to understand and apply relevant legislation, regulations and Council policies.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly to residents.
• Strong written communication skills for webchat, email and other digital channels.
• Excellent attention to detail and accurate record keeping.
• Ability to recognise vulnerable customers and respond appropriately.
• Ability to manage difficult or challenging customer interactions professionally.
• Ability to take ownership of enquiries and know when escalation is appropriate.

Systems Experience

Experience using Civica Open Revenues and D360 is particularly important for this role.

Desirable

• Experience using webchat.
• Ability to speak another language.
• Experience supporting UAT, service improvements or small projects.
• Experience mentoring or training colleagues.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who is customer-focused, knowledgeable and confident when dealing with complex Council Tax and Benefits enquiries.

You should be able to work independently, take ownership of customer issues and provide accurate advice while remaining polite and professional, including when dealing with challenging situations.

You will be expected to demonstrate:

• Customer and community focus
• Clear communication and influence
• Resilience
• A willingness to support colleagues
• Problem solving and investigation
• A commitment to delivering accurate results
• Accountability and responsibility
• Continuous learning and improvement

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Council Tax / Revenues & Benefits professional looking to take on a senior customer-facing and SME-focused position within a local authority.