Customer Service Assistant

The Role

Join a UK-based marine retail business and help deliver excellent customer service across its specialist marine brands. You will be a key point of contact for customers by phone and email, helping with product questions, orders, deliveries, returns and complaints.

This is a varied, customer-facing role for someone who enjoys helping people, solving problems and taking ownership of enquiries from first contact through to resolution.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Emails

You will help manage customer enquiries received by email. This may include:

• Responding to questions about products.
  

• Responding to order and delivery enquiries.
  

• Checking order status and providing customers with updates.
  

• Assisting customers with returns, exchanges and refunds.
  

• Dealing with stock availability enquiries.
  

• Investigating missing, delayed or damaged deliveries.
  

• Responding to product-related questions.
  

• Following up outstanding customer issues.
  

• Escalating more complex matters to the appropriate member of the UK team.
  

• Writing clearly, professionally and in a friendly manner.
  

Telephone Customer Service

You will answer incoming customer telephone calls and assist with a wide range of enquiries. This may include:

• Providing order updates.
  

• Helping customers identify suitable products.
  

• Answering general product questions.
  

• Checking stock availability.
  

• Assisting customers who are experiencing problems with an order.
  

• Handling delivery enquiries.
  

• Taking information from customers and arranging follow-up where required.
  

• Transferring or escalating specialist enquiries to the appropriate colleague.
  

You should be confident and comfortable speaking with UK customers by telephone.

Customer Complaints

You will help manage customer complaints and service issues in a calm, professional and commercially sensible manner. This may involve:

• Listening to and understanding the customer's concern.
  

• Investigating what has happened.
  

• Reviewing order information and previous correspondence.
  

• Liaising with colleagues, suppliers or couriers where necessary.
  

• Keeping the customer informed while the issue is being investigated.
  

• Helping agree an appropriate solution within company guidelines.
  

• Escalating sensitive, unusual or higher-value complaints where required.
  

We are looking for someone who can remain calm under pressure and focus on finding a practical solution.

Order & Delivery Support

A significant proportion of customer service enquiries relate to orders and deliveries. You may therefore assist with:

• Tracking customer orders.
  

• Checking courier information.
  

• Investigating delayed or missing parcels.
  

• Liaising with couriers where appropriate.
  

• Identifying fulfilment or order issues.
  

• Checking whether products have been dispatched.
  

• Helping resolve incorrect, incomplete or damaged deliveries.
  

• Updating customers until the matter has been resolved.
  

You will work with internal systems and the wider UK team to obtain the information needed to assist customers.

Product Support

You will not be expected to know every product from day one, but over time you will develop familiarity with the product ranges and be able to answer an increasing number of customer questions directly.

This may include:

• Helping customers locate products on websites.
  

• Checking product information and specifications.
  

• Assisting with basic compatibility questions.
  

• Directing more technical questions to the appropriate member of the team.
  

• Learning commonly purchased products and frequently asked questions.
  

Full support will be available for enquiries requiring specialist marine or technical knowledge.

Returns, Refunds & Exchanges

You will assist customers with returns and after-sales processes, including:

• Explaining the returns process.
  

• Checking the status of returned items.
  

• Assisting with exchanges.
  

• Following up on refunds.
  

• Gathering information relating to faulty or damaged products.
  

• Ensuring the correct information is recorded for the UK team where further action is required.
  

Customer Service Standards

You will be expected to:

• Respond promptly and professionally.
  

• Communicate clearly and in plain English.
  

• Keep customers informed rather than leaving them to chase for updates.
  

• Take ownership of enquiries and follow them through.
  

• Record clear notes so colleagues can understand what has happened.
  

• Escalate issues when necessary rather than allowing them to remain unresolved.
  

• Treat customers fairly and courteously, even where they are frustrated or upset.
  

Requirements

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in Customer Service, Customer Success or a similar customer-facing role is essential.
  

• Strong experience handling customers via email and telephone.
  

• Experience managing customer enquiries from initial contact through to resolution, taking ownership of issues and following up proactively.
  

• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate professionally and confidently with customers.
  

• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calm and professional when handling complaints or difficult situations.
  

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple customer enquiries and priorities simultaneously.
  

• Comfortable working independently in a fully remote environment and communicating effectively with a wider team.
  

Preferred Experience

Experience in one or more of the following environments would be highly advantageous:

• E-commerce or online retail.
  

• Retail or wholesale.
  

• Customer service for an online store or product-based business.
  

• Order processing and order management.
  

• Returns, refunds and exchanges.
  

• Delivery, courier or fulfilment enquiries.
  

• Customer complaints and issue resolution.
  

• Working with e-commerce, order management, CRM or customer service platforms.
  

• Working remotely with a UK, international or distributed team.
  

• Experience supporting customers with product enquiries, stock availability, pricing or quotations.
  

Marine, boating or leisure industry experience is not essential. We are primarily looking for someone with strong Customer Service or Customer Success experience, excellent communication skills, a proactive approach and the ability to learn new products and systems quickly.

The role will involve working with a number of online systems. You will be expected to:

• Learn order management and e-commerce systems.
  

• Use Microsoft Outlook and other Microsoft 365 applications.
  

• Use internal customer service and communication systems.
  

• Check customer and order records.
  

• Update notes and information accurately.
  

• Use courier tracking systems.
  

• Learn new software as required.
  

Technology and automation are used extensively to make routine tasks easier, allowing the customer service team to focus on helping customers and resolving issues. You should therefore be comfortable using technology and learning new systems.

The Person We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who is naturally helpful, organised and confident communicating with customers. You should be:

• Friendly and approachable.
  

• Confident speaking with customers by telephone.
  

• A strong written communicator.
  

• Patient and calm when dealing with frustrated customers.
  

• Comfortable handling complaints.
  

• Organised and able to manage several open enquiries at once.
  

• Proactive and willing to follow issues through to completion.
  

• Accurate when recording information.
  

• Comfortable working independently from home.
  

• Able to use initiative while also knowing when to escalate an issue.
  

• Comfortable learning new products and systems.
  

• Reliable and dependable.
  

• Able to work effectively as part of a remote team.
  

Excellent written and spoken English is essential.

Useful Experience

Previous experience in one or more of the following would be beneficial:

• Customer service.
  

• Telephone-based customer support.
  

• E-commerce or online retail.
  

• Retail customer service.
  

• Order processing.
  

• Complaint handling.
  

• Returns and refunds.
  

• Courier or delivery enquiries.
  

• Marine, boating or leisure products.
  

Experience within the marine industry is not essential. We are more interested in finding someone with the right attitude, communication skills and ability to learn.

Working With the UK Team

Although you will work remotely from South Africa, you will work closely with colleagues based in the UK. You will communicate regularly with the UK team to:

• Obtain information required to answer customer enquiries.
  

• Escalate technical questions.
  

• Resolve order issues.
  

• Follow up warehouse or dispatch queries.
  

• Escalate complaints where appropriate.
  

• Share recurring customer issues or feedback.
  

Good internal communication will therefore be just as important as good customer communication.

What Success in the Role Looks Like

A successful Customer Service Assistant will help ensure that customers receive quick, helpful and professional responses.

Rather than simply replying to an email or answering a telephone call, we want someone who will take ownership of the enquiry.

For example, if a customer contacts us because their order has not arrived, you would check the order, review the tracking information, investigate the issue where necessary, explain the position to the customer and follow the matter through until it is resolved.

If you cannot resolve the issue yourself, you would ensure it is passed to the correct person and that the customer is kept informed.

The aim is simple: customers should feel that somebody is genuinely helping them and that their enquiry is being dealt with properly.

Quotations & Supplier Liaison

You will assist customers who require quotations for products, larger orders or specialist items. This may include:

• Preparing and issuing customer quotations accurately and promptly.
  

• Following up quotation enquiries where appropriate.
  

• Checking product availability and pricing.
  

• Liaising with suppliers to obtain accurate stock availability and expected delivery times.
  

• Obtaining lead times for products that are out of stock or made to order.
  

• Keeping customers updated where availability or delivery times change.
  

• Liaising with the UK team where specialist pricing or approval is required.
  

• Ensuring quotations and associated customer enquiries are followed through promptly.
  

Customers should receive realistic information about availability and delivery times, so you will be expected to verify this information with suppliers where necessary rather than making assumptions or promises that cannot be supported.