Client Services Advisor - Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Client Service Advisor contributes to the operations of the MBIE Service Centres currently spanning 4 regional locations providing front-line customer service to the public. The Service Centre is responsible for taking inbound calls and emails from clients and providing advice on over approximately 90 lines/queues at any one time for a range of business areas, both for MBIE and external government agencies. The MBIE Service Centre is a complex and diverse area of MBIE receiving around 1 million customer contacts per annum.

A Client Service Advisor (CSA) provides phone assistance and email support giving, advice, education and information to a diverse range of clients across a large number of business units within MBIE.

All work is done within a regulatory framework and a CSA is required to use their judgement in filtering, diagnosing and providing the correct guidance to ensure clients get the information they need. They will collate information about our clients and their needs, to inform the management and development of our services.

A CSA is the first point of contact for a range of MBIE services and has a vital role in maintaining and promoting the reputation of MBIE and other stakeholders to the general public.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Skills and experience

• Strong customer service skills and a customer centric approach.
• Ability to communicate clear and concise advice and information about complex matters.
• Strong analytical skills with an ability to gather and assess information in order to provide the right advice.
• Ability to demonstrate a high level of resilience and composure under pressure to effectively handle an ever changing, fast paced and at times challenging environment.
• Strong effective listening skills.
• Strong resilience in the face of members of the public in distressful situations.
• Ability to build rapport, trust and openness while demonstrating empathy.
• Proven ability to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Strong time management and organisational skills.
• A positive attitude with a commitment to doing the right thing.
• Proven work ethic including trustworthiness and reliability.
• Proven experience working in a fast-paced adapable environment.
• Use of IT systems including an understanding of Microsoft Office.
• Ability to be proficient in maintaining the latest knowledge in multiple communication streams.
• Experience in a customer facing role or contact centre is highly desirable.
• Experience working in a team environment.
• Excellent verbal and written English skills, including comprehension.
• Experience working within a legislative environment or relevant tertiary education is desirable.

Requirements

• Actively participates in all training programmes which range up to 5 weeks in duration dependent on complexity and subject/line, including wellbeing and diversity training.
• Credit check required (if working within Service Delivery).
• NZ Citizen or NZ Permanent Resident (if working in Immigration Service Centre).
• NZ Citizen or holds a valid NZ work visa (if working in Service Delivery Service Centre).
• Criminal history check required.
• Required to drive (no).
• Police vetting (no).

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Problem solving

Make complex decisions across a range of jurisdictional subject areas to ensure advice is accurate, timely, complies with legislation and takes ownership of decision making by:

• Using high level of critical thinking to deliver the right information to clients first time to enable them to comply with relevant legislation, make informed decisions and/or resolve disputes.
• Takes steps to fully understand the problem and contributing factors, select and implement solutions that are effective and collaborates with others as required.  
• Using effective questioning, listening, empathy and life skills to fully understand client’s circumstances and/or identify underlying issues and relevant legislative/policy principles.
• Adhere to privacy requirements and maintain political neutrality to ensure the information provided to clients is subject to government guidelines, scrutiny, potential legal action and media scrutiny.
• Using effective communication to identify customer needs by clarifying information, analysing resources and providing solutions and education to assist the clients.
• Explains complex legislation(s) in a manner that can clearly be understood and applied by clients and/or refer clients to appropriate agencies or legal avenues.
• Navigate multiple electronic systems to access information and maintain these systems accurately to meet reporting requirements.
• Providing advice, education and guidance to enable clients to perform their legislated compliance obligations online.
• Confidently providing accurate advice across a wide range of complex subject areas.

Planning and organising

• Plans, prioritises and organises work, self or others to deliver on short-and long-term business objectives.
• Takes responsibility for achieving high quality work.
• Self-starter who is highly self-motivated and takes initiative.
• Takes ownership of their personal growth and development by acting on feedback and being receptive to input from others.
• Takes on feedback in good faith and is open to improvement individually and collectively.
• Understands the current performance measures (including but not limited to KPIs) and works with the Team Leader to meet these.
• Uses time management skills to meet KPIs.
• Takes a proactive approach to self management and self development to remain up to date on training.

Resilience

• Maintains composure and shows a sense of perspective in demanding or pressured situations.
• Being able to adapt to change in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate with people in stressful situations.
• Ability to remain neutral and maintain integrity in challenging situations.
• Using their knowledge of best practice call control, including ability to end a call at an appropriate time.

Client focused and communication

• Uses effective listening to respond to clients queries in an empathetic, timely and professional manner.
• Uses good phone etiquette with clients by being respectful, professional, following protocols and procedures. Whilst using tools such as: active listening, probing questions, tone of voice and call control.
• Uses appropriate communication tools and language to accurately assess risk when dealing with vulnerable clients.
• Effectively manages and controls emotive calls in regards to clients complaints and requests for Privacy and Official Information Act requests.
• Agile approach with the ability to multitask while maintaining high quality customer service.
• Being able to or seek to de-escalate challenging or difficult conversations.
• Building trust in all interactions.
• The ability to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds ensuring cultural needs are taken into account in interactions with clients and stakeholders.
• The ability to build rapport with clients from all walks of life.
• Maintaining a high level of integrity by doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.
• Applying the principles of the Privacy Act, Official Information Act, Public Records Act, and other relevant legislation. 

Relationship management

• Actively participates as a team member and contributes knowledge and expertise needed to achieve MBIE’s outcomes.
• Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders by managing relationships between our clients and the stakeholders in a positive manner.
• Contributes to ensure continuous improvement for the success of our stakeholders and the Service Centre.
• Gather insights from clients via feedback and complaints to improve the management and development of our services.
• Represents whole-of-Ministry views and protects its reputation in any external interactions.

Wellbeing, health and safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times, with a particular focus on mental health.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Client Service Advisor position reports to a Team Leader within the Engagement and Experience branch. The branch sits within the Te Whakatairanga Service Delivery group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission