Switchboard Operator

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Customer Services team as Switchboard Operator on a **part time basis**.

Our Customer Services team get the bestselling books into retailer’s hands so they can be read by book lovers all over the world. The Customer Services Team aim to ‘read’ our customers, diagnose their needs, and fulfil them even before they realise that need in the first place, providing a personal interaction that is real and sincere, that comes from the heart.

The switchboard team are responsible for the front-line response for handling all our calls across all our sites in the UK.

As a Switchboard Operator your priority will be to resolve queries and questions for internal and external customers and, where needed, transfer calls to appropriate colleagues to handle more specialist enquiries.

**Key responsibilities**:

- Responsible for promptly answering all switchboard calls and dealing with them in a professional, friendly and courteous manner, always seeking to resolve issues wherever possible.
- Responsible for updating the switchboard manuals to ensure that knowledge is shared across the teams so that it encourages a constant learning and developing team
- Responsible for updating the telephone directory database with data supplied by HR to ensure that all contact information is kept up to date, to ensure that the best possible service is available at all times.
- Assist with mailings for customer service and broader teams as and when required
- Assist the broader customer service team with various administration duties as and when required.
- Ad hoc requirement to provide cover on main reception (for holidays /sickness)

**What you’ll bring to the role**:

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
- A calm, patient, professional and understanding approach to customers and resolving queries
- Excellent customer service skills, able to deal with customers and colleagues at all levels
- Good IT skills (knowledge of Microsoft is desirable)
- Good listening and questioning skills
- Good attention to detail

We are currently experimenting with hybrid working, for this role we would expect you to work from the office in Frating, Colchester minimum two days a week. Further information about working patterns can be discussed at interview stage.
- We have two openings for this role available, both on a part time basis either Monday to Wednesday or Monday to Friday (afternoons only).

**Salary**: £20,000 - £21,000

Our employees are the heart of our business. We have a range of benefits to reflect our commitment to our employees, some of which are:

- 27 days paid holiday entitlement in year one (plus bank holidays), increasing a day each year up to 30 days
- Medical cover
- Life assurance
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Discounted gym membership
- Generous pension scheme
- Summer working hours (role dependent)
- Volunteering policy and charity matching
- Employee Assistance programme
- Mentoring programme
- Extended gender neutral parental leave
- Access to books and eBooks across Penguin Random House UK
- Each site has trained mental health first aiders
- We plant a tree for every new employee to our business

**Our creativity is inspired by different perspectives, so we want our culture to be one of belonging, where everyone feels welcome and where differences are celebrated.**

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

**Company**: Penguin Books Limited

**Country**: United Kingdom

**State/Region**: Essex

**City**:Essex

**Postal Code**: CO7

**Job ID**: 259934