Emma Rogers – Senior Customer Service Advisor

How did you start off in your role and what's a typical day like?

I’m Emma and I’m a Senior Customer Services Advisor in the Contact Centre. I’ve been working for YHN for almost 7 years now. I originally started as an Apprentice in Income which was for 1 year and once my apprenticeship ended, I applied for a full-time job in the Enquiry Centre which then merged into the Contact Centre. I became an Enquiry Centre Coordinator (SCSA) around 3 years ago.

Every day in my role is very different and no two days are the same. My main duties within my role are monitoring and handing calls via our 24hr Ostara response service where we deal with vulnerable customers throughout Newcastle and provide a service in which ensures our customers can live independently in their own home. My role also involves prioritising emergency calls, dispatching Ostara responders to emergency calls, for example, customers fallen, no replies, technical faults (alarm) and many more, monitoring CCTV and dealing with CCTV and fob requests from the police, housing services, safe living, and various other departments. I take calls for smoke alarm activations which sometimes involves dispatching the fire service, as well as dealing with calls for all services across YHN including out of hours.

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

I love that no two days are the same in my role, some days are hectic, and some days are steady but what I love most about my job is being able to help and support our customers on Ostara. Our service ensures our customers can live independently in their own homes and if they need any emergency assistance, we are just a button press away. We tend to build a rapport with our regular customers that call in each day and they are always so grateful to know we are there if they need any assistance. Some customers due to being elderly and/or living alone can sometimes feel a little lonely and press the alarm for a 5-minute chat, provided we are not busy this is something we are happy to do as sometimes we are the only people the customer speaks to. It is rewarding to see the impact our service has on our customers; we are a lifeline to them.

What do you love about YHN?

I enjoy working for YHN and I am proud of the service our organisation provides. I love working in my team especially as we all work very well together, and we are always able to support each other both inside work and supporting work life balance. I love how customer focused YHN are and almost anything is possible and accessible when it comes to our customers.