Citizens Advice Plymouth depends on its volunteers to deliver face to face and telephone information, advice, advocacy and preventative education to the clients who need us.

We helped over 11,000 people across the city last year, dealing with nearly 78,000 enquiries and helping our client’s access over a £1 million of income. We also deliver national projects such as our Utility advice projects.

We are looking for people who are passionate, positive, organised and effective communicators who want to play a key role in helping us deliver our much-needed client services.

Customer Service Volunteers are a key part of our service, providing practical assistance directly to staff and other volunteers, facilitating the delivery of our face-to-face appointment services, greeting clients and supporting them to access our services.

  What will you do?

• Complete an introduction to Citizens Advice Plymouth
• Complete comprehensive training for your role in order to provide excellent customer service to clients of the organisation.
• Complete basic computer-based case-recording to meet Citizens Advice Quality Standards.

Once trained, you would complete shifts with us which could involve the following duties:

• Providing support to other staff and volunteers 
• Facilitating the delivery of our face-to-face appointment services
• Greeting clients visiting our office
• Supporting clients to access self-help information
• Managing appointments and booking/re-scheduling as necessary depending on availability of clients and advisers.
• Signposting clients to other services that could help them
• Any other duties as required, to ensure the smooth running of client appointments and drop-in services

All volunteers and staff within Citizens Advice Plymouth are required to:

• Conduct all elements of client work in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including data handling and recording of sensitive client information on Casebook. 
• Keep up to date with legislation and sources of information. 
• Keep an eye on, and report, problems which are common or unfair, and write a short report on these issues for our Research & Campaigns work.
• Work as part of a team with other volunteers and staff, as well as liaising with other projects and departments within Citizens Advice Plymouth and our partners as necessary. 

  What’s in it for you?

• Make a real difference to people’s lives.
• Build on valuable skills such as communication, listening and problem solving, and increase your employability.
• Work with a range of different people, independently and in a team.
• Have a positive impact in your community.
• Receive reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses.

  What do you need to have?

• Demonstrate commitment to the Citizens Advice aims, principles and policies.
• Be friendly, approachable and respectful of views and cultures that are different to your own.
• Have excellent listening skills.
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication.
• Have reasonable IT skills.
• Be able to act sensitively around emotive topics.
• Willingness to undertake training in order to improve your own skills and knowledge.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

  How much time do you need to give?

We ask for 4-8 hours per week minimum for this role. All training and volunteering is completed within our Cobourg House office. Our training plan is tailored to each role, and you will need to attend the office on a fixed day each week to complete your training. Your volunteering time after this will be determined in consideration of your availability and our service coverage.

  Valuing inclusion

Our volunteers come from a range of backgrounds, and we particularly welcome applications from people with physical or mental health conditions, LGBT+ and non-binary people, and people from Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.