Customer Relations and Business Support Assistant

County Supplies is the County Council's category lead for common use goods, acting as a procurement specialist and buying agent for corporate departments, Hampshire schools, and other local authorities. We take pride in our strong customer relationships and our commitment to exceeding expectations. Whilst Winchester will be your formal workplace, you will work from a mix of office and home. We expect a higher proportion of your working week to be in the office, with one or two days per week from home. As part of the Customer Relations and Business Support Team, you'll play a key role in maintaining and growing our customer base. Your responsibilities will include:

• Sales Outreach: Proactively make outbound calls to existing and potential customers to promote our product range, highlight current offers, and identify opportunities to upsell and cross-sell.
• Customer Relations: Handle inbound inquiries and complaints professionally via phone and email, ensuring customer satisfaction and retention.
• Business Support: Assist with administrative tasks, including data entry, processing customer orders, report generation, creating and managing customer accounts and invoices, including debt recovery. Support general admin functions for our web shop, County Supplies Online, including stock data, customer and content management.
• Problem Solving: Resolve customer issues efficiently, including stock checks and arranging returns and credits.
• Communication: Maintain clear and professional communication with customers and our Logistics and Buying teams. Work collaboratively with other Hampshire County Council departments.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to the development and implementation of new policies and procedures. Suggest improvements to enhance the customer experience., We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
  
  You'll have a confident telephone manner and a passion for customer interaction
• Experience in sales or telesales is highly desirable
• Strong data entry skills and proficiency in Microsoft O365 apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Access)
• Excellent literacy and numeracy
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• A team-oriented mindset and a proactive approach to problem-solving
• Experience with SAP and web shop admin functions is a plus
• Knowledge of distribution or warehousing environments is beneficial
  
  Hampshire County Council is recognised nationally as one of the highest performing local authorities in the UK. A modern, forward-looking local authority, it offers a pleasant, supportive, and collaborative working environment.
  
  Hampshire County Council is also a flexible employer interested in making the most of your skills and offers a great work life balance. We invest in you through our internal development programmes and training and offer a competitive salary and benefits package.