Customer Service Specialist Review

As a Customer Service Specialist (Apprentice) at British Gas Homecare, I handle customer queries, complaints, and retention. I manage tough conversations, resolve issues, and support team knowledge-sharing. My role includes logging cases, ensuring policy compliance, and continuously learning through training and assessments to enhance service quality and customer satisfaction.

At British Gas Homecare, I’ve enhanced my customer service, complaint handling, and retention skills. I’ve gained experience in managing tough customers, logging cases, and ensuring compliance. I’ve also improved problem-solving, knowledge sharing, and workplace development through team discussions, training, and assessments, strengthening my communication and professional growth

I enjoy my apprenticeship, especially developing customer service skills and handling challenges. However, the workload can be overwhelming when I have to submit a large amount of work. While the experience is valuable, balancing job responsibilities with apprenticeship assessments can be demanding at times.

My apprenticeship lacks structure, with last-minute online meeting requests, repetitive health and wellbeing forms, and frequent reviews every 2-3 months. It would be more organised if meeting invites were sent on day one, giving better clarity and planning. A more structured approach would improve the experience.

I don’t receive much support from my employer in terms of time off—it’s a struggle to get annual leave, and there’s little help for burnout. However, my team leader is extremely supportive, always doing his best to assist me and the team, ensuring we feel valued and supported.

I don’t receive much support from my training provider. While resources are available, there’s little practical guidance or clarification. Emailing for help isn’t effective, with low reply rates, and sometimes I don’t hear back for over a week. By the time I get a response, I’ve already finished the work.

I feel that the qualification from my training provider doesn’t fully help me perform better in my role. While it provides useful knowledge, the lack of practical guidance and delayed support makes it harder to apply the learning effectively. I feel I’m often left to figure things out on my own.

we go out as team every Christmas to eat

No

I wouldn’t recommend British Gas due to poor support from both employer and training provider. It’s hard to get time off, and burnout is hardly addressed. The apprenticeship is disorganized, with delayed responses and last-minute meetings. Plus, the pay is low for the demanding work expected in a call center.

Prepare for high demands in a fast-paced call centre. Stay organised with tasks and deadlines, as the structure can be unclear. Be proactive, seek answers independently, and manage stress effectively. Document communications and issues, and know your rights regarding workload and time off to address concerns when needed.