Customer Service Apprentice Sudbury, East of England, England
Job description
Customer Service Apprenticeship
Full-time, 8.30 am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday and 9.30 am to 4 pm Sunday
(5 days a week, including one day at the weekend)
About the role:
Are you ambitious and interested in starting a career in garden centre retailing but have little or no experience in the industry? We are looking to recruit a Customer Service Apprenticeship, this is an exciting opportunity for you to join a friendly, family-run company and kickstart a rewarding career in retail and customer services.
Perrywood is an independent, family-owned garden centre and nursery run by the Bourne Family in Essex, with sites in Tiptree and Sudbury. Our vision is to inspire people to get more plants in their lives. Our everyday mission is to offer a memorable garden centre experience, delivering wow customer service and giving employees, customers, suppliers, and our local community a reason to smile.
In our Customer Service Apprenticeship, you will gain invaluable experience across various departments in our business, giving you hands-on experience in all aspects of retail operations and customer services whilst working towards a recognised qualification. During your apprenticeship, you will work across our Giftware, Outdoor Leisure (Garden Furniture & BBQs), Garden Sundries (products you’d find in a garden shed), Christmas and Plant Area departments. This will help expand your product knowledge and develop key skills like customer service, merchandising, and teamwork. This is a great first step on your retail career pathway and the perfect chance for you to join a growing business and progress in the industry.
We’re looking for outgoing and proactive individuals with fantastic communication skills and a keen interest in gardening, plants or horticulture to join our growing team. Your personality and ability to engage with customers are key. The ideal candidate will be passionate about delivering a high-quality service, enjoy direct contact with a wide range of people and be motivated by customer satisfaction. If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you!
You’ll be working five days a week (including one day each weekend) 8.30 am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 4 pm Sunday. Time will be allocated each week to your apprenticeship.
Rewards and Benefits
In addition to the hourly wage, you will receive the following benefits:
o Discount – From the start of your employment you will receive 10% discount on specific items. Following a successful probation period, the discount increases up to 20% discount on specific items and after one year’s service up to 40% discount on specific items. (some exceptions apply)
o Paid holiday– holiday entitlement is 22 days per year, plus bank holidays. Restrictions apply (part-time pro rata)
o Annual Christmas bonus
o* Part-uniform provided*
o Employee Assistant Programme- a confidential personal and professional support service available to all employees and their immediate families 24/7, 365 days a year.
o Training & development, as required. We have an e-learning scheme called GROW, and also take part in other training with product suppliers and external trainers
o Company sick pay– following a successful probation period employees are entitled to 10 days paid sickness (part-time pro rata)
o Access to our Retail Discount Scheme– savings on retailers including Tesco, Pizza Express, M&S, Waitrose, Argos, Apple, Currys PC World, Thomas Cook and 100’s more
o Workplace pension
o Free parking
Key duties:
o Being friendly, polite and helpful to customers at all times
o Deliver outstanding customer service
o Learn how to merchandise stock to encourage sales
o Learn how to answer customer queries and build up your knowledge by learning from the rest of the team and working in different departments
o Operating computerised till and EPOS (Electronic Point Of Sale) systems, processing card and cash payments
o Maintaining stock levels across the store, including labelling and pricing
o Take part in cleaning as required and maintain scrupulous cleanliness of all areas covered under your place of work
Your capabilities:
o Approachable and have a pro-active attitude towards helping customers
o An interest in gardening and/or plants
o Must be able to bend, lift and carry items as required and sustain long periods on your feet
o Able to work well under pressure and remain positive and cheerful
o Strong verbal communication skills and confident talking to members of the public
o Ability to recognise when customers or colleagues need help or assistance
o Strong problem-solving skills
Requirements
o Excellent standard of Maths and English (minimum Grade 4 at GCSE)
o Experience working in retail/customer service roles is preferred but not essential
o You’ll need to work five days a week, including one day at the weekend
o Ability to work individually or in a team
If this Customer Service Apprentice position sounds like the ideal opportunity for you then apply to us directly, we’d love to hear from you!
For further information and a full job description please visit the Perrywood website https://www.perrywood.co.uk/careers/
Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months
Salary: £7.49-£10.42 per hour
Benefits:
- Company events
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Store discount
- Wellness programme
Application question(s):
- Due to our rural location and limited access to public transport, how would you travel to work?
- Tell us about your interest in plants and/or gardening
Experience:
- customer service: 1 year (preferred)
- retail: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person
