Gemma Sparkes
Calne,Wiltshire
Summary
Results-driven Neighbourhood Officer currently working for Aster Group with expertise in landlord services as per the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, community engagement and all . Specialises in complaint management, customer service, and anti-social behaviour intervention, effectively managing over 700 properties. Successfully led a team of 18 in achieving service standards as a Complaints Team Leader for Lloyds Banking Group. Committed to enhancing community living standards through strategic partnerships and innovative solutions.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Neighbourhood Officer
Aster Group
07.2022 - Current
- Applying a risk-based approach to manage around 700 properties dealing with all aspects of tenancy and estate management and property maintenance.
- Carry out Neighbourhood Estate Inspections, liaising with relevant colleagues to remedy any repairs or maintenance.
- Tackled anti-social behaviour, fostering a safe and welcoming community environment.
- Providing an effective and flexible landlord service to our customers to build communities our customers are proud to live in.
- Supported customers with tenancy enquiries and addressed tenancy breaches through daily collaboration.
- Resolved customer complaints, enhancing satisfaction and service quality.
- Supporting our Planned Programme teams to liaise with customers and contractors via email, phone, letter or on site.
- Multi agency working, including safeguarding for any vulnerable customers.
- Active member of the neighbourhood enhancements panel, putting forward, discussing, and implementing ideas of improvement for our neighbourhoods.
- Achievements – promoted from customer service advisor to Neighbourhood Assistant, and gaining a further promotion to Neighbourhood Officer.
Neighbourhood Assistant
Aster Group
10.2021 - 07.2022
- Managed mutual exchange process, providing advice and guidance, conducting inspections, liaising with other organisations, completing paperwork within agreed timescales, and finalising sign-ups with customers.
- Carried out neighbourhood inspections and routine visits to support the neighbourhood team via telephone, face to face, and sight call.
- Provide an efficient administrative service to the neighbourhood team, assisting with diary management via outlook and internal systems, booking appointments, and providing advice and guidance to our customers to promote a 1st touch resolution when achievable.
- Deal with enquiries face to face, via telephone or letters and emails.
- Maintained accurate records and administrative systems for neighbourhood team, ensuring compliance with regulations.
- Manage any change of tenancy requests including any joint to sole deed of assignments.
- Enforce and support the landlords’ strategy of safety first and rent first.
- Identifying and reporting any safeguarding concerns in line with Asters’ policy and procedure.
- Created detailed reports from Power BI to facilitate data-driven decisions.
- Utilised SAP Concur to manage and submit invoicing requests efficiently.
- Procured equipment to ensure neighbourhood team had necessary resources for effective operations.
Customer Service Advisor
Aster Group
01.2021 - 10.2021
- Handled incoming customer telephone calls and email queries, ensuring timely responses to enhance customer satisfaction.
- Liaising with other parts of the business to promote a smoother customer journey.
- Identified improvements for working practices and processes to optimise customer experience.
- Logged repairs and prioritised them effectively to facilitate prompt resolutions.
- Met key performance indicators set by the business to drive success.
- Demonstrated accountability by managing assigned duties effectively.
Complaints Team Leader
Lloyds Banking Group
05.2012 - 12.2020
- Led and coached team of up to 18 staff members, delivering consistently high service levels and achieving KPIs.
- Oversaw high-level case load of customer accounts, promptly resolving escalated queries to maintain service excellence and achieve satisfactory outcomes for customers and the business.
- Created environment focused on customer satisfaction and compliance, managing conduct and capability issues through effective performance management processes.
- Monitor all aspects of staff performance, source and implement training and development strategies and provide one to one coaching to enable personal and professional objectives to be maintained.
- Identifying opportunities through route cause analysis to meet training and development needs for both the business and individual to continually progress, working closely with the change team for a smoother implementation.
- Produce and analyse data for continuous business and customer improvement.
- Facilitated effective communication strategies within the team to improve collaboration.
- Served as representative for employee reward and recognition initiatives to enhance team morale.
- Risk management and health & safety within the team and our working environment, ensuring all legislation and group procedures are adhered to.
- Complied with all government guidelines, standards, and processes.
- Executed payment reconciliation and reported exceptions to maintain compliance with financial standards.
- Achievements – Promoted from Senior Complaints Case Handler to Complaints Team Leader
Senior Complaints Case Handler
Lloyds Banking Group
04.2011 - 05.2012
- Investigating my own case load of customer complaints in accordance to FCA guidelines, prioritizing appropriately.
- Executed critical decisions to optimise case resolution processes.
- Focused on meeting performance targets to improve customer satisfaction.
- Supporting the team with process/system queries– Subject Matter Expert.
- Outbound telephone calls to customers and third parties.
- Providing written correspondence.
- Redress calculations.
- Payment reconciliation.
- Supporting the team with process/system queries– Subject Matter Expert.
- Managed individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) and collections processes.
Education
Wiltshire
College01-2002
Skills
- Complaint management
- Customer service
- Vulnerable customer support
- Case management
- Negotiation skills
- Stakeholder engagement
- Team leadership
- Coaching and mentoring
- Training development
- Change facilitation
- Problem resolution
- Customer retention strategies
- Strategic planning
- Deadline adherence
- Business acumen
- Budget oversight
- Staffing coordination
- Communication proficiency
- Relationship building
- Litigation management
- Microsoft Office Suite proficiency
- Microsoft Office Suite proficiency
Timeline
Neighbourhood Officer
Aster Group
07.2022 - Current
Neighbourhood Assistant
Aster Group
10.2021 - 07.2022
Customer Service Advisor
Aster Group
01.2021 - 10.2021
Complaints Team Leader
Lloyds Banking Group
05.2012 - 12.2020
Senior Complaints Case Handler
Lloyds Banking Group
04.2011 - 05.2012
Wiltshire