Kara Dewson
Southend on Sea,Essex
Summary
With over 20 years of experience in customer service and office administration, this professional excels in managing front desk operations and funeral arrangements with a calm demeanour and compassionate communication. Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel and Word, as well as IT and internet security, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. Demonstrates exceptional organisational skills, tact, diplomacy, and crisis handling abilities while maintaining computerised records and preparing legal documentation. Career goals include further enhancing expertise in bereavement support and multi-faith practices awareness to provide exceptional client-facing services.
Overview
37
37
years of professional experience
30
30
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Funeral Arranger
Co-op Funeralcare-Southend
Southend-on-Sea
12.2007 - 09.2025
- Trained and mentored colleagues
- Customer service.
- Teamwork with colleagues but also working alone.
- Organised.
- Paperwork, printer, telephone inbound and outbound calls.
- Contact with third parties.
- Admin work, including Microsoft office, word, excel and outlook.
- Data entry. Invoicing. Payments. Preparation.
- Booking appointments. Typing letters. Speaking to and emailing clients regularly.
- Debt management. Debt Reconciliation.
- Running an office alone. Participated in engagement events.
- G.D.P.R. Internet Security. Health & Safety management.
- Compliance management. Reporting repairs to Facilities Management.
- Supported other colleagues. Designed service sheets.
- Established community projects.
- Delegated work to colleagues. Informed clients of changes. Negotiated sales with clients.
- Completed annual targets and K.P.I'S. Facilities Management.
- My position involves meeting bereaved families, making their funeral arrangements, contact with third parties, and sales.
- Compliance - 17 years
Customer Advisor
B & Q D.I.Y Store-Fossetts Way
Southend-on-Sea
07.2007 - 12.2007
- Customer service. Negotiated sales.
- Explaining and directing customers.
- Guided customers on products.
- My position involved talking to customers daily
- Helping customers with products
- Giving advice on those products
- Using point of sale, and processing payments.
Parking Attendant
APCOA Parking
Southend-on-Sea
05.2002 - 05.2005
- Checking parking tickets on vehicles
- Helping customers with queries.
- Issuing penalty charge notices to vehicles.
- Ensuring traffic was flowing, and no obstructions.
- Compliance - 17 years
Administrative Assistant
Customs and Excise
Southend-on-Sea
05.1988 - 06.1991
- Administrative Assistant in the Enquiries Department.
- Customer service.
- Guiding clients with tax queries via telephone, fax, email and tax returns.
- Data entry. Microfiche.
- Filing, faxing, scanning and photocopying.
- Inbound and outbound telephone calls to clients.
Education
GCSE or equivalent - Accounting
Adult Education Centre
09.1998 - 06.1999
GCSE or equivalent - Law
Adult Education Centre
09.1998 - 06.1999
GCSE or equivalent - History
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - I.T
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - Science
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - English
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - French
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - Maths
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
Skills
- Microsoft Excel - 17 years
- Front Desk - 17 years
- Funeral arranging
- Multi-Faith practices awareness
- Legal documentation preparation
- Funeral home maintenance
- Patience and tact
- Bereavement support
- Calm demeanour
- Compassionate listening
- Compassionate communication
- Computerised record keeping
- Tact and diplomacy
- Crisis handling
- Health and Safety regulations
- Compliance management
- Contact with Facilities Management - 17 years
- Invoicing - 17 years
- Client Facing - 17 years
- Microsoft Word - 17 years
- IT - 20 years
- Customer Service Skills - 20 years
- Outlook - 17 years
- Data Entry - 20 years
- Order processing - 17 years
- Internet Security - 17 years
- GDPR - 17 years
- Office Admin - 20 years
- Point of Sale - 30 years
- Microsoft Office - 17 years
- Standard of Practice - 17 years
- Health And Safety - 17 years
- Organisational skills - 17 years
- Compliance - 17 years
- Manual Handling - 17 years
- Cossh - 30 years
- Booking appointments - 17 years
Certification
- Manual Handling July 2014 to Present Manual Handling Course
- Funeral Arranging December 2007 to Present Btech Level 3
Languages
English
Fluent
Accomplishments
100% questionnaire results for over three months in communication with clients, advice and support.
Affiliations
I like reading, documentaries, including crime and organisation. I like cooking, baking and planning menus. I would one day like to travel abroad to many different countries. I like the Cinema and watching movies.
Timeline
Funeral Arranger
Co-op Funeralcare-Southend
12.2007 - 09.2025
Customer Advisor
B & Q D.I.Y Store-Fossetts Way
07.2007 - 12.2007
Parking Attendant
APCOA Parking
05.2002 - 05.2005
GCSE or equivalent - Accounting
Adult Education Centre
09.1998 - 06.1999
GCSE or equivalent - Law
Adult Education Centre
09.1998 - 06.1999
Administrative Assistant
Customs and Excise
05.1988 - 06.1991
GCSE or equivalent - History
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - I.T
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - Science
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - English
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - French
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988
GCSE or equivalent - Maths
Westborough High
09.1983 - 05.1988