The posting
Customer Service
Our customers contact us by phone and through digital chat, our WhatsApp style messaging system. When you join us, we will help you build the skills to take care of our customers by phone. Once you have built up your experience and confidence, we will then provide further skilling to help you do the same through digital chat. When you are fully skilled you will take care of customers through both channels.
Start Date - This role has an anticipated start date in 2027. As we are recruiting ahead for future opportunities, there may be a slightly longer period between submitting your application and receiving an update from our Recruitment Team. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to reviewing your application.
Salary - The starting salary is £26,230, plus a comprehensive benefits package. Upon completing the training and coaching period, which typically lasts 12 weeks, the salary will automatically increase to £26,550. There will be further opportunities for salary progression up to £29,500, depending on your commitment to personal development and career growth.
Working Hours/ Shift Patterns - You will work 37.5 hours per week including one full weekend and one Saturday in every five. If you work a weekend shift, you’ll get time off in lieu.
Our opening hours - Monday to Friday 08:00 to 19:00, Saturday 09:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 09:00 to 13:00
Training - Our 12-week training programme is delivered face to face in the office.
The first 8 weeks focus on core learning, followed by continued in‑office support through to week 12 as you build confidence and embed your skills. Your training will consist of learning both our Customer Service journeys (telephony and digital) so you’re fully equipped to support customers across all channels.
After completing the full programme, you’ll receive sign‑off from a trainer or team leader before moving to hybrid working and into your permanent team.
Our approach to Hybrid Working - With hybrid working, you have more flexibility, as you usually only have to visit our office once a week and work remotely for the rest of the time. You can always opt to work from the office more frequently if that suits you better. When we organise training and events you may be required to attend in person for the duration.
Location: Our fantastic Bexhill office, which is next to the seafront, and only a short walk from Collington station.
Your role - Our Customer Service team is all about being there for our customers, however they choose to contact us. You’ll support customers across both telephone and digital chat, delivering a market-leading experience and helping them get the right outcome.
From answering questions about our products and policies to making changes or adding additional products, no two interactions will be the same.
As a Customer Service colleague, you’ll need to be comfortable moving between different types of customer interactions, adapting your communication style and continuing to provide a consistent, high-quality experience across each channel.
What we're looking for in a Customer Service candidate
- A genuine focus on delivering great outcomes for customers.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt your approach depending on the channel.
- Confidence supporting customers across both telephone and digital chat.
- Accountability, accuracy and strong attention to detail.
- Flexibility and resilience, particularly when navigating change and continuous improvement.
- Confidence using multiple IT systems while supporting customers.
- The ability to move between different customer interactions and channels while maintaining a consistently high standard of service.
What happens after you apply? After you apply, we’ll invite you to complete three assessments: a psychometric assessment to understand your preferences and working style; a chat simulation to explore your decision-making and understanding of customer needs; and a written assessment to review your communication style and writing quality. The process usually takes around 40 minutes, though you may need longer. You can complete them in stages, but once you start an individual assessment, you must finish it.
If you successfully complete the assessment and your experience and transferable skills align with what we’re looking for, one of our Recruiters will get in touch for an initial screening call. This is a chance for us to get to know you better and for you to hear more about the opportunity.
From there, you may be invited to meet with one of our Team Leaders for an interview, where you’ll have the chance to showcase your skills and explore whether the role is right for you.
Benefits you’ll receive:
- Full training with industry experts and friendly coaches guiding you throughout your career with Hastings
- Up to 5% annual discretionary Bonus
- Hybrid working (1 day per week in the office with the option to do more depending on your preference)
- A fantastic open plan modern office
- We promote a relaxed, friendly & diverse working environment
- 'Harrys’ - a great onsite restaurant, with a wide range of choice at breakfast and lunchtime & an on-site Costa coffee
- 25 days holiday and bank holidays equivalent (plus buy and sell up to 5 days)
- Pension match up to 10% of your salary
- Life insurance (4 x base salary)
- Discounted Hasting Direct products
- Discounts & cashback with well-known retailers
- Tech scheme, cycle to work, health assessments, and skin check
- Refer a friend scheme - earn £500 for every friend you refer
- We will provide you will all the tech that you need! Including a brand-new Microsoft Surface laptop
As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive – what this means to you is if you’re applying for a job with us, you’ll have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey.
For this position, we’re regrettably unable to accept applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) due to the extremely high volumes of applications we receive. However, what we put in place for these positions instead in order to remove barriers is an opportunity for all candidates to complete first stage assessments, in the form of some online exercises, which we can also provide adjustments for on a case-by-case basis. For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our careers site.
If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made throughout the assessment process you should contact the recruitment team at [email protected] prior to starting any assessments, in order that adjustments can be considered.
Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.
At Hastings Direct, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all.
Job posting end date:
