Customer Service Advisor

Customer Service Advisor
The Open University in Northern Ireland
Academic Services
Pay: £13.45 per hour PAYE
Location: 110 Victoria Street, Belfast, BT1 3GN
Start Date: ASAP
Contract: Until Friday 30th October 2026 (full commitment to the contract duration is required)
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week. Successful candidates will work a flexible shift pattern between 8:00am and 6:30pm, Monday to Friday.
About the Role
Pertemps are recruiting on behalf of The Open University for a Customer Service Advisor to join their Student Recruitment and Support team in Belfast.
This is an excellent opportunity for candidates with experience in customer service, administration, student services or contact centre environments to join one of the UK''s leading universities.
As a Customer Service Advisor, you will support current and prospective students by providing advice and guidance throughout their student journey. You''ll communicate across multiple channels, including telephone, email, webchat and social media, while carrying out a range of administrative duties using university systems.
The role begins with a 7-8 week office-based training programme, after which you''ll move to a hybrid working arrangement, combining office and home working.
Key Responsibilities
Deliver excellent customer service to current and prospective students through inbound and outbound telephone calls, emails, webchat, letters and social media.
Provide information and guidance on student registration, enrolment, fees, qualifications and study options.
Process student registrations and maintain accurate student records using university databases and internal systems.
Respond to a wide range of customer enquiries efficiently and professionally.
Complete administrative tasks accurately while meeting deadlines and service standards.
Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver an outstanding student experience.
Contribute to continuous service improvement and share best practice across the team.
Maintain excellent attention to detail when updating records and processing information.
Develop knowledge of university policies, systems and procedures to support students effectively.
Essential Skills and Experience
To be successful, you''ll have:
- Previous experience in a Customer Service Advisor, Contact Centre, Student Services or Administration role.
- Experience handling high volumes of customer enquiries via telephone, email and other communication channels.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise a busy workload.
- High levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Experience using Microsoft Office 365 applications.
- Confidence learning new IT systems and databases.
- GCSE English and Maths (Grade C/4 or above), or equivalent.
- Ability to work effectively within a team while managing your own workload.
- A flexible approach with the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
Location and Hybrid Working
The role is fully office-based during the initial 7-8 week training programme.
Following successful completion of training, you''ll move to a hybrid working model, attending the Belfast office as required to meet operational needs.
Please note:
Annual leave is restricted during the training period.
Leave is also limited during the university''s peak enrolment periods (currently August-September and January-February).
When working from home, you''ll require broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps download and 2Mbps upload.
Why Apply£
Hybrid working after training.
Full training provided.
Opportunity to work for one of the UK''s leading universities.
Gain valuable Higher E