Job Description

Customer Service Advisor – Your First Step Into a Career

Central Southampton | £28,000 – £32,000 | Monday–Friday

This role is available because the last person we placed into it has just been promoted. After only three months.

And that probably tells you more about this opportunity than any list of benefits ever could.

She joined the Customer Service team, got to know the business, discovered that she had a real talent for scheduling and coordination and she's now moving into a permanent position within the Transport team.

And she's not the first.

We've recruited a number of people into this business over the years who have started in Customer Service and gone on to build careers in completely different areas. This company talks about career progression but, more importantly, we've actually seen them deliver it.

This isn't just another customer service job

Your first 12 months will be about learning the business. You'll start within Customer Service, working with business customers, managing orders and enquiries, preparing quotations, solving problems and building relationships. From there, you'll start getting exposure to other parts of the organisation. You may spend time with the Account Coordinators. You could spend a few months working alongside Business Development. You might discover that you're brilliant at scheduling and operations, like the person currently being promoted into Transport. Or perhaps your strengths eventually take you towards Finance, Marketing, Sales, Account Management or another area entirely.

You don't need to know exactly what you want to do with your career yet. In fact, that's part of the point. This is an opportunity to join a business, learn how it works, discover what you're genuinely good at and start building a career around it.

What is the working environment actually like?

First things first: this is not a call centre.

You'll be joining a good-sized, established business with a professional, open-plan office in central Southampton.

It's busy, sociable and collaborative. The company has a low turnover of staff, and people tend to build long-term careers here. Internal progression is very much part of the culture, which is exactly why we're recruiting for this position again.

Who are we looking for?

We're looking for someone who already has some experience within an office or customer service environment but perhaps hasn't quite found their thing yet. You might currently work in customer service, a contact centre, sales administration, order processing, account support or another busy office-based position.

Your exact job title isn't particularly important. We're much more interested in finding someone who is:

• Confident and personable
• Professional on the telephone and over email
• Organised and comfortable with administration
• Accurate and detail-focused
• Curious and willing to learn
• Comfortable working within a busy, open-plan office
• Ambitious and keen to progress

You don't need to arrive knowing exactly where you want to be in five years. But you should have that feeling of "I know I'm capable of more, I just need someone to give me the opportunity."

What you'll be doing

Customer Service will be your starting point and where you'll really learn the business.

• Handle inbound enquiries from business customers
• Manage and process customer orders
• Prepare detailed quotations
• Manage enquiries through a shared inbox
• Follow up on orders, quotations and service queries
• Investigate problems and find solutions
• Keep customer and order information accurate and up to date
• Build relationships with customers
• Work closely with colleagues across different departments

You'll develop a really good understanding of the customers, products, systems and wider operation, giving you a strong foundation from which to progress.

Why we're excited about this opportunity

Lots of job adverts promise career progression. We can actually show you what it looks like. The person we're replacing joined through Rafferty Resourcing just three months ago. She's not leaving, she's been promoted. She discovered that scheduling was something she was particularly good at and enjoyed, and she's now moving permanently into the Transport team.

We've seen other candidates build their careers within this business too, and that's why we're particularly interested in people who want more than their next job. We're looking for someone who wants their first real career opportunity.

The package

Up to £32,000 starting salary depending on experience. This salary reflects the fact that this is based in central Southampton, so if you are driving in you will incur parking charges (please see below). We kindly ask that you consider this before you apply.

Monday to Friday – no weekends

Rotating hours:

Weeks 1–2: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Weeks 3–4: 8:30am – 5:30pm

You'll also receive:

• 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays
• Employer pension contribution of up to 7%
• Life assurance at 4x salary
• Enhanced parental leave
• Employee perks portal
• GP helpline and Employee Assistance Programme
• Regular company events
• Training and development
• Genuine internal career opportunities

Location: Central Southampton
Working pattern: Fully office-based
Office: Professional, open-plan environment
Dress code: Business wear Monday–Friday

Please also be aware that there is no free onsite parking. Local parking is approximately £8–£10 per day, so the location may particularly suit someone who can commute easily by public transport.

You don't need your whole career figured out.

You just need some good office or customer service experience, the right attitude and the ambition to do something with it.

Come in, learn the business, find out what you're brilliant at and see where it takes you.

A quick note before you apply

If you're applying for this position, we'd kindly ask you to include a short covering note alongside your CV. Nothing lengthy, we'd just love to know:

• Your current situation
• Your notice period/availability
• Why this particular opportunity interests you
• A little about the relevant office and/or customer service experience you can bring to the role
• Your interview availability for w/c Tuesday 1st September

Please note that some previous office or customer service experience is essential for this position. Unfortunately, we're unable to consider applications from candidates with no relevant experience at this time.

We read every application, so a little context really does help us understand whether this could be the right opportunity for you.