Assisting Local Residents

Gavin Toms works as a Service Recovery Specialist on our contract with Dacorum Borough Council.

Here, he tells us a little bit about the work he does to assist local residents.

Q: What is your typical day like?
My typical day would involve receiving and responding to emails or phone calls from residents or from our client reporting issues, then investigating these to see what has happened.
This involves phoning both the resident and the client to let them know I have received their correspondence and to find out more information so I can look into the matter on their behalf. Keeping them updated on my progress is a really important part of my job.
Another key part of my job is understanding where the incidents have happened so we can go back and show lessons learnt to prevent it happening again.

Q: Please could you tell us a little about your background and how you came to work for Osborne?
I started on day one of the contract back in June 2014 as a call handler and then after a few months moved into the role of Service Recovery Specialist which I have now done for over three and a half years.

Q: What does your role involve?
My role mainly involves trying to resolve complaints from residents, liaising with residents, staff, contractors and the client. Home visits to see the resident shows that we take complaints seriously and I know the personal touch is appreciated by the residents. I also record compliments that the contract receives. I also assist in the call centre and give advice to the call handlers if needed, and sometimes take over calls that are more in depth.

Q: What challenges do you face in your role?
Challenges I face can be getting hold of the residents via phone, arranging home visits, waiting for replies to emails sent or arranging any necessary works to try and resolve issues.

Q: What’s the best/most rewarding thing about your job?
It’s very satisfying when a resident contacts you to say thank you for taking the time to understand the issues they have faced and for fixing them quickly and effectively.