Customer Service Advisor

Who we are and what we do:

We, Hachette UK Distribution, are the leading book distribution company in the UK. We are one of the most advanced distribution centres in Europe, with leading-edge automation and modern systems which ensure world-class service to customers and publisher clients. We ship in excess of 60 million books globally each year and supply one out of every four books to the UK trade.

Our exciting growth plans for 2025, which include the onboarding of a number of well-known client publishers, mean that we are now looking to expand our Customer Services team.

Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity.

Hachette UK Distribution is part of the Hachette UK publishing group.

What you'll be doing:

On a day to day basis you will be dealing with all aspects of contact internal and external to the business, including providing first class service to our global customer base.

This means on a typical day you could be responding to e-mails and telephone calls, processing orders, co-ordinating deliveries, organising collections with carriers, investigating claims (e.g. shortages and damages), issuing refunds, general administration duties and other duties such as:

• Proactively liaising with both customers and publishers to maintain a first class working relationship

• Preparing and processing orders/claims received from customers and publishers

• Liaising effectively with all other departments to achieve swift problem solving and maintaining excellent communication internally and externally whilst also ensuring special requirements are met on time

As part of the Customer Services team you will be working to ensure all targets are met, demonstrating growth mindset by working with your team leader to promote change that will improve customer experience and ensure continued high standards of quality and productivity are maintained.

This role offers the opportunity to become an essential part of the Customer Services team and gain lots of experience regarding distribution and elements of the publishing industry.

Following your initial training period which will be based in our offices in Didcot, Oxfordshire, you will be able to make the most of the current hybrid model (minimum 2 days per week in the office). The hours will be 9am to 5pm (35 hours per week) with a one hour lunch break working Monday to Friday.

Who we are looking for:

Do you strive to provide outstanding service with a personal touch? Do you exceed expectations by taking ownership and being solution-focused? Do you make an effort to build strong and trusted relationships? If so, we would love to receive your application as we are recruiting a Customer Service Advisor.

Why should you be excited about this opportunity? Well, Hachette UK Distribution has seen real growth in the past 5 years, moved into a new state of the art facility and has built a reputation for being 'best in class' in our industry.

Are you interested? Then read on to find out more!

You will live and breathe our Customer Service Vision and have a passionate and proactive approach to delivering excellent customer service. You will enjoy liaising with, and collaboratively working with, the Operations team and Credit Services team as well as our client publishers to resolve issues and proactively seek to continuously improve processes and procedures.

It is highly likely that you will already have proven experience of working in the following roles and or industries: Hospitality, Retail, Customer Service Advisor, Customer Service Assistant, Customer Account Manager, Customer Support, Customer Care Advisor, Complaints Handler, Customer Experience, Customer Excellence, Telesales, Call Centre.

What we offer:

Our people are our greatest asset and our benefits reflect this.

Therefore, we offer an extensive list of benefits that include:

• 33 days annual holiday including Bank Holidays

• a reward programme giving discounts, savings and cash back at numerous retailers

• generous discounts on books we publish

• Pension Plan and Life Assurance schemes

• Company enhanced family policy including maternity, paternity and shared parental

• Mental Health First Aiders / Champions and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

• Cycle to Work scheme

• DSE eye care vouchers

• a wide-ranging training library

• development programmes including mentoring

• many employee networks to join

• free onsite parking

• free tea and coffee

• Staff Events e.g. Burrito van, Pie van, Ice Cream van, Staff Party

• Creating an environment of inclusion so everyone can be their true self

Our commitment:

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

We will notify all candidates of the outcome of their application.

Salary - £23,500 per annum

Closing date - 17th January 2025