Customer Service Officer

Salary: Band 5, £26,473 - £28,239 per annum

Working Hours: 37

Location: Civic Offices

Closing Date: 31/05/2026

Job Category: Customer Service

Region / Division: UK Region

Directorate: Corporate Services

About the City Helpdesk

The City Helpdesk (CHD) is Portsmouth City Council's main customer contact centre and the first point of contact for residents and visitors. The team handles over 130,000 calls a year across more than 20 council services, as well as email enquiries, contact forms, reception duties at the Civic Offices, in person support, cashiers, and corporate complaints.

The Role

If you're passionate about improving the experience of residents and visitors in Portsmouth, this role offers the chance to make a real difference.

As a Customer Services Officer, you will initially start your career with us on the telephone with elements of written customer correspondence. Based on business need, you may move onto reception and further written correspondence including social media.

You will be able to own and resolve issues; in some circumstances your responsibility is to locate the relevant contact for the customer or follow an established procedure and ensure a clean hand over. Full training is provided, but you'll also need confidence in handling unexpected or unclear enquiries.

The ideal candidate

You will have/be

• Experience dealing with challenging situations or individuals.
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• Flexible, organised and able to remain calm under pressure.
• Active listening skills, empathy, and a non judgemental approach.
• A genuine team player who builds positive, supportive working relationships.
• Problem solving ability and willingness to take initiative where needed.
• Creative thinking and confidence to identify when processes aren't working and elevate issues appropriately.

Hybrid Working: The post holder will be office based until probation ends then work from home based on business needs.

Interview date: Assessment and Interviews will be held on Tuesday 9th June 2026