Customer Service Representative - job 1 of 2

Taylor & Francis Group an Informa Business

Informa is a leading academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge, and events business, creating unique content and connectivity for customers all over the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.  

Taylor & Francis is one of the world’s largest publishers of high-quality, peer reviewed scholarly journals, books, e-books and reference works. We empower learners, thinkers and doers with trusted knowledge that advances research and enriches lives. We bring together diverse people, ideas and opinions to validate and publish the experts, theories and truths that matter. And we’ve been doing this in an unbroken arc since 1798.  

Our purpose is to foster human progress through knowledge.  We strongly believe that this requires us to encourage and examine different ideas and voices, so that any work that meets our exacting levels of quality deserves to be included in our publications. This requires open minds, the opportunity for robust debate, and the courage to defend perspectives that stand up to scrutiny, even if they conflict with our personal beliefs or values. Because that’s the only way to find the best obtainable version of the truth and, ultimately, foster human progress. If you agree, then we’d love to hear from you. 

Every day millions of people read our content. Would you like to be part of our customer journey?

We are looking for a Customer Service Representative to work as an integral part of the global department providing outstanding customer service to our internal and external customers.

The position reports to the Customer Service Manager and will work as part of a global team, collaborating to manage day-to-day business processes and end-to-end customer workflows liaising with other departments where appropriate.  Suggesting improvement ideas and assisting with the implementation to improve customer satisfaction, increase productivity or reduce costs.

Responsibilities will include:

• Take ownership of customer queries received via phone, email, live chat and in person through to resolution in line with policies/procedures, KPI’s and Customer First training best practice. Striving to increase customer satisfaction/first time resolution and reduce the need for customers to contact. 
• Take responsibility for the processing of invoices and quotes, working precisely and carefully.  Responding appropriately and efficiently to queries, problems and special requests from customers, accelerating these to team leaders and managers where appropriate.
• Resolving product or service problems/queries by clarifying customer issues, determining the root cause of problem, selecting and explaining the best solution to the problem, expediting corrections/adjustments, and following up to ensure resolution.
• On the back of customer contacts review the customer self-help portals (where they exist) and suggest new content or amendments to the relevant team.
• Managing day-to-day business processes, liaising with other departments where appropriate.
• Suggesting amendments to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
• Maintaining knowledge of department policies, processes, procedures, and systems used, developing an internal network to increase knowledge.
• Providing support to team members.
• Active participation in meetings, expressing your viewpoint but also recognising and listening to others.
• Suggesting improvement ideas and assisting with the implementation of those ideas to improve customer satisfaction, increase productivity or reduce costs.
• Using Salesforce to manage customer contacts and workflow in line with the SOP.
• Using SAP/Salesforce to manage orders/invoicing.
• You achieve personal objectives and, work to agreed KPI’s and targets including quality assurance.

The ideal candidate will have:

Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Experience of Microsoft Office and proven ability to acquire technical and system knowledge.
• Previous Customer Service experience, minimum of one year preferably in an office.
• Experience of working to KPI’s/SLA’s.
• Excellent problem solving and initiative skills driven by a desire to reach a satisfactory outcome for the customer 
• A good standard of Education including English and Maths.
• Experience of using Microsoft Office and CRM systems would be ideal.

Skills and Behaviours Required:

• A determination to drive for results and effective time management skills.
• Creative thinking ability with proven problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to communicate clearly and concisely. 
• Great attention for detail, maintaining accuracy and speed.
• The ability to work under pressure to deadlines with minimal supervision.
• An effective team player, building good working relationships and retaining a positive and flexible attitude towards your work and colleagues.
• Ability to work on your own initiative, organising own workload under supervision.
• Self-driven to continuously improve performance.

What we offer in return:

• An excellent work/life balance with a fantastic, flexible working culture and hybrid working from home and office 
• 25 days annual leave per year plus an extra day off each year for your birthday
• 3 additional discretionary days for Christmas each year
• 4 paid volunteering days each year
• Employee assistance programme - Offering 24/7 well-being support
• Share Match - Plan that matches every share purchased with two free shares.
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance, plus optical and medical care.

What you should know:

• This role will be mainly home based, with 1 day per week being office based. You will therefore need to be based within a commutable distance of our office in Milton Park, Oxfordshire or Colchester, Essex.
• You must have the right to live and work in the UK. 
• Closing date for applications: 20 December 2024
  • Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be conducted throughout the duration of the recruitment process. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as possible.

Training And Professional Development:

We’re passionate about ensuring you have all the tools and resources at your fingertips to reach your short and long-term career goals. We’ll support you in your journey by working together on your own bespoke Taylor & Francis Development Plan, ensuring you have the resources, tools, support and coaching that will get you where you want to be.

Interview process:

Once you have submitted your application, we may get in touch with you for an initial screening conversation or ask you to complete a short video screening exercise to enable us to better understand your skills, experience, and motivation. Following this, you will be invited to attend a competency-based interview, either virtually or in person. Typically, we’d then finish the interview process with a final, 2nd stage interview before extending an offer to the successful applicant.

Being "you" at Taylor & Francis

We want all our candidates to shine in our recruitment process. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to ensure you are able to show us your best self. This could include having the application form in a different format, more time for questions, or anything else – please ask us, we are happy to be flexible! Please contact [email protected]

Here at Taylor & Francis, we know that many times the 'perfect candidate' doesn't exist, and that people can feel discouraged about applying for a job if they don't fit all the requirements. We encourage you to apply if you're excited about working for us and have some of the skills or experience we're looking for. We believe in the notion that many skills and experiences are transferrable, and you could be just what we need! Taylor & Francis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly believe in the value of diversity in people and thought. We strive to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where our colleagues can learn, develop, and succeed, all while feeling comfortable with being their true self. We embrace all walks of life regardless of race, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, citizenship, or any other protected characteristic under local law.

We genuinely care about our colleagues, promoting work-life balance, wellbeing, and flexible working. We believe that the skills and experience you bring to Taylor & Francis are invaluable. We want you to have the opportunity to develop your abilities, and to innovate and develop in areas which you are passionate about. To find out more about our business and the great career opportunities please go to our Careers Site: http://www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/careers

Or better yet check out our LinkedIn ‘Life’ Page, highlighting our accomplishments, employees, and company culture. It’s also a good way of meeting our recruitment team, who will be happy to advise you on your journey here at T&F.