Customer Service Representative

Office Beacon South Africa; Pietermaritzburg; On-site; ZAR 50 000 - 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A workplace solutions provider is looking for a Customer Service Representative in Pietermaritzburg. This role involves managing purchase orders, converting store orders, and ensuring effective communication with U.S. vendors. Ideal candidates should have 1-3 years of relevant experience and strong English communication skills. This position requires availability for U.S. business hours and proficiency with Microsoft Office and ERP systems.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years' experience in purchasing, procurement, order entry, or customer service.
• Ability to work U.S. business hours (Eastern / Central).
• Familiarity with e-commerce/storefront order platforms.

Responsibilities

• Create, review, and issue purchase orders to vendors based on requisitions.
• Convert e-commerce store orders into accurate internal purchase orders.
• Maintain ongoing communication with vendors regarding order confirmations.

Skills

Strong written and verbal English skills

Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Experience in purchasing or customer service

Ability to handle data entry

Tools

NetSuite

ERP systems

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Job Title

Customer Service Representative

Location

Office - Based, Pietermaritzburg

Hours

Aligned to U.S (approx. 3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. SAST).

About the Client

Our client is a leading provider of workplace solutions, helping organizations equip, enhance, and energize their environments through office essentials, technology, furniture & design, facility supplies, branded merchandise, and more.

Role Summary

Our remote staff in South Africa play a vital role in delivering high-quality service and operational support to our U.S. teams and clients.

The Purchasing CSR (South Africa) supports the U.S. Purchasing Department by ensuring timely and accurate processing of purchase orders, converting store/e-commerce orders into purchase orders, and providing responsive service to vendors and internal teams.

This role requires detail-oriented execution, proactive follow-up, and excellent communication skills to bridge South Africa operations with U.S. business needs.

Key Responsibilities

Purchase Order Management

• Create, review, and issue purchase orders (POs) to vendors based on requisitions, sales orders, and store orders.
• Verify product details, pricing, terms, and lead times before submission.
• Track open orders and proactively follow up with vendors on acknowledgments and delivery status.

Store Order Conversion

• Convert e-commerce or client-facing store orders into accurate internal purchase orders.
• Validate product codes, quantities, pricing, and shipping instructions from store systems.
• Communicate discrepancies (out-of-stock, substitutions, pricing mismatches) to sales or purchasing leadership for resolution.
• Ensure converted orders flow smoothly through the purchasing and fulfillment process.

Vendor Communication & Follow-Up

• Maintain ongoing communication with vendors regarding order confirmations, delays, substitutions, and logistics.
• Escalate issues impacting customer deliveries to U.S. Purchasing Manager.
• Support vendor performance tracking by documenting delays and discrepancies.

Internal Stakeholder Support

• Respond to order status inquiries from sales, operations, and other teams in a timely and professional manner.
• Provide daily/weekly reporting on purchase order and store order conversion activity.
• Partner with U.S. warehouse/logistics teams to confirm receipt and resolve issues.

Data Accuracy & Compliance

• Enter and maintain accurate records in ERP/purchasing systems (e.g., NetSuite or equivalent).
• Ensure compliance with purchasing policies and audit standards.
• Support invoice matching and billing discrepancy resolution with Finance.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years' experience in purchasing, procurement, order entry, or customer service.
• Strong written and verbal English skills (for U.S. vendor and internal communication).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook) and ERP systems.
• Experience handling data entry, order conversions, or similar administrative tasks.
• Ability to work U.S. business hours (Eastern / Central).
• Experience in office products, branded merchandise, or facility supply industries.
• Familiarity with e-commerce/storefront order platforms (e.g., Shopify, InkSoft, Facilis Syncore, commonsku).
• Knowledge of NetSuite or similar ERP.
• Prior remote support for U.S. clients.