Customer Assistant

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

Job summary

A leading retail store in Belfast seeks a proactive individual to enhance the customer experience while ensuring a safe shopping environment. The ideal candidate will confidently engage customers, provide assistance, and act as a visible security presence. Key skills include strong communication, natural empathy, and the ability to deter suspicious behaviors. This role offers the opportunity to work within a collaborative team focused on creating a friendly atmosphere for shoppers.

Qualifications

• Must be confident and friendly with a natural presence.
• Strong communication skills are essential for engaging customers.
• Ability to remain focused on greeting customers and deterring suspicious activity.

Responsibilities

• Provide a visible presence to customers at the start of their shopping journey.
• Welcome customers with a smile and appropriate greetings.
• Assist customers in navigating the store and provide help as needed.

Skills

Confident presence

Strong communication skills

Ability to deter suspicious activity

Natural empathy with brand values

Self-motivated

Good observation skills

Job description

Work Pattern

Tuesday: 07:00-15:00 - Wednesday: 07:00-15:00 - Thursday: 07:00-15:00 - Friday: 07:00-15:00 - Saturday: 07:00-15:00

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