A day in the life of a Customer Services Operative
From left to right: Tracy, Meghan, Linda and Sue
1. What is your current role, which company do you work for and where are you based? What’s it like?
My current role is a Customer Services Operative at ADM Milling and I am based in Head Office in Chelmsford. This job is an interesting role as there is a wide variety of customers and with that, no day is the same. The job can get very busy during certain seasons such as Easter and Christmas due to taking double orders to make sure our customers receive the flour that they need.
2. How long have you been at the company? What were you doing before?
I have been at ADM Milling for almost 6 months now. Before I was a student at my local sixth form college and working part time as a cleaner for 2 hours after school. I was studying Double Business and PE.
3. Can you share some information about your position and what you do on a day-to-day basis?
One of the first things I do on a day to day basis is process the orders for our supermarket customers. I also call my regular customers to take their weekly orders. When taking the orders, I sometimes need to contact the mills, transport teams and central logistics to make sure any of the late or next day orders are okay to be processed. Once the order has been confirmed by all departments, I send confirmation to the customer. I then process any enquiry’s that have been emailed in by customers or account managers. In the afternoon, I assist the wheat department with the contract matching. I have also just started training on supplier wheat contracts.
4. What are your customers like?
I am starting to build up good relationships with the regular customers I talk to. When speaking to the same customer I have begun to recognise more and more people’s voices and have grown to know them on a more personal level.
5. Who are your co-workers? What type of people do you work with?
My co-workers in my team are Barbara, Tracy, Sue and Linda. I am the youngest of our team, so working with them is sometimes like working with your mum as I am considered the baby. They are all lovely people and they all made me feel very welcome when I first joined. They are all very different types of people, so it is a healthy mix and no day is boring when sitting with them.
6. What keeps you motivated to go to work each day?
Developing my skills further for career progression.
7. What do you like best about your job?
What I like most about my job is the people I work with. I like that the employees of ADM Milling on all levels from the top senior management to the office admin levels are all approachable and mix together so that you get to know the people you work with on a personal level as well as professional level.
8. How have you evolved in your current job?
I have become more confident in dealing with the customers and have added to my skill set by learning new software packages e.g. sales talk and enterprise. I believe I have also matured more by spending so much time around my co-workers.
9. Any funny stories to share?
Due to the generation gap between me and my team, there is also a language barrier. We have had to give each other lessons in the different uses and meanings of the same word. There is also a constant battle between the two sides of the office with the central heating!
10. Are there any challenges in your job? If so, how do you handle them?
Challenges that I have faced is keeping up with customer demands and managing customer expectations.
11. What do you think the climate is for your current industry? Where is it headed?
The flour-milling industry is relieved that a no-deal Brexit has been averted, at least for now. We continue to be very busy within the team and remain positive even though there is an element of uncertainty over Brexit.
12. What is your proudest accomplishment at the job?
Although I have not been here long, I am proud that I was accepted as an employee at ADM before leaving college and have successfully transitioned from education to the workplace environment.
