Customer Service Assistant – Live Chat Follow-up in Portsmouth

This role focuses on customer questions that begin in an online chat and need a careful next step. Some can be answered from approved information while the customer is present. Others need a check by a colleague, a document sent later or a follow-up message once the necessary facts are available. You would help keep the thread coherent so that a person does not have to repeat the same explanation each time they contact the team.

The work is remote and primarily written. You would not be asked to promise an outcome you cannot authorise. A useful chat reply acknowledges the question, separates what is already known from what still needs checking and records the next action. If another person takes over, the handoff needs to capture the reason for contact and what has already been discussed.

The measure of a good interaction is whether the customer understands where the issue stands, rather than how quickly a chat window is closed. In an assigned conversation, you would read the current message and enough earlier context to avoid asking the same question again. You might check for a missing reference, use approved help information to explain an ordinary process and give a concise answer in language the customer can understand.

A reply should address the issue actually raised, not merely repeat a standard greeting. Where an account decision, complaint review or specialist answer is needed, you would summarise the conversation for the next colleague. If information becomes available later, you may send an appropriate follow-up through the approved channel. You would mark the conversation complete only after the stated action or handoff has occurred.

The work has a particular rhythm. Live messages require clear short replies, but not hurried guesses. A customer may describe several problems in one chat; you would identify the separate points and avoid answering only the easiest one. If the chat ends before a question is resolved, a useful note explains precisely what still needs to happen. You may also review a pending queue to make sure a promised follow-up has not been overlooked.

The team’s procedures will explain how to assign or elevate an item. You should be able to tell the difference between explaining a published step and making a decision about an account. For example, you can direct a person to the right online form when the guidance is clear. You should not say that a request has been accepted before an authorised reviewer has made that decision.

Similarly, if a person shares sensitive details in chat, you would follow the company’s handling process instead of copying them into an unrelated message or document. Customer service experience is welcome, including retail or telephone support, but it is not required. Applicants who have little formal experience may still suit this position if they can write plainly, read carefully and stay composed when a person is confused or frustrated.

The employer will train you on its systems, approved answers and escalation routes. Familiarity with a particular chat product is unnecessary; comfort moving between a conversation and reference information is more useful. This position also calls for the habits used in office administration: a reliable note, a clear status and a handoff that another person can understand. You do not need to have held an administrative job to have those habits.

A home office area where you can concentrate on written conversations is helpful. The hiring team can explain its specific working hours and how full-time or part-time cover is arranged.

The hourly rate for this opening is £27.25-£29.25. You will work remotely and learn the team’s expected approach to chats, records and follow-ups. There is no requirement to sell products or make independent exceptions to company rules.

Please use your CV to show any experience answering questions, writing helpful messages or following through on a promise. That might come from employment, study or voluntary activity. If you have not worked in live chat before, say only what you have actually done; the platform can be learned. If you’re selected for the next step, you may be asked to complete an application on the hiring company’s website. The employer can then review your details for the particular opening.