Customer Assistant - Service & Safety Assistant - Cribbs Causeway

MARKS&SPENCER; Bristol; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in Bristol seeks a customer engagement officer to enhance store safety and customer experience. Your role involves greeting customers, assisting with navigation, and ensuring a secure shopping environment. Ideal candidates possess strong communication skills and confidence, with a natural empathy for the company's values.

Qualifications

• Ability to engage customers with ease.
• Natural empathy with the M&S brand and values.
• Strength in observing suspicious activity.

Responsibilities

• Provide customers with a visible presence at the store.
• Welcome customers and assist in navigation.
• Be a deterrent against violence and theft.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Confident presence

Good observation skills

Empathy with brand values

Self-motivated

Job description

Working Pattern

• week 1: Monday 12:00-20:00; Tuesday 12:00-20:00; Wednesday 08:30-15:00; Saturday 08:00-16:00
• week 2: Sunday 10:30-17:00; Monday 08:30-16:30; Thursday 12:00-20:00; Friday 12:00-20:00

Key Accountabilities and Measures

• Clearly identified to provide customers with a visible presence at the beginning of their shopping journey
• Confidently welcome customers to the store with a smile and by making eye contact, and use a range of greeting techniques known to deter theft from the store
• Flexible and trained to support other areas within the store i.e. Foods, C&H, Operations
• Be knowledgeable of the store, support key marketing messages, latest products and top questions (e.g. what time do you close?)
• Assist customers in navigating the store, recognising when a customer needs help and provide the right level of support
• Thank our customers for shopping with us when they exit
• Deal calmly and empathetically with people in a variety of retail circumstances, including confrontational situations
• Respond to door alarms in a sincere and apologetic manner, resolving any issues the customer may have
• Be a visible deterrent against violence, anti-social behaviour, targeted theft, till snatches and criminal activity to support a safe shopping environment.
• Identify and monitor suspicious persons, activity or theft and take appropriate customer engaging actions as required to deter
• Ensure all incidents are reported through the M&S Incident reporting process either through the Hicom app (on the Honey well) or into the Security Operations Centre, and to the police where necessary
• Ensure that persons served with a trespass notice do not re-enter the site
• Responsible for carrying store radio and engaging with police and other security personnel to improve service to M&S, this may include crime partnership meetings, agreed police meetings, shop watch schemes
• Apprehend external thieves (only if necessary) in line with business policy and only if all components of theft are seen
• Report any incidents of known or suspected internal theft or malpractice

Key Skills

• Being confident with an easily felt presence and friendly and natural personality is essential
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage customers with ease
• Ability to remain focussed at greeting customers and deterring suspicious activity
• To have a natural empathy with our M&S brand and values, including service behaviours
• To be self-motivated, willing to improvise and suggest or try new approaches
• Able to maintain high standards of appearance and uniform standards
• No requirement to be licensed, but good observation skills would be a benefit

Key Relationships and Stakeholders

• Store Management team
• Store Colleagues
• Operational Security Manager
• Regional teams (RLPMs/RCOMs)
• Store Detectives
• SOC
• Police
• Local Networks