Apprentice Customer Service Administrator
BUFFALOAD LOGISTICS LTD
Crewe (CW1 6YY)
Closes in 13 days (Friday 21 August 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 7 August 2026
Contents
Summary
Our customer services team is central to ensuring deliveries run smoothly and in line with customer expectations. The role acts as the key link between customers, transport operations, planning teams, warehouse colleagues and drivers, helping to coordinate deliveries, resolve issues and maintain communication throughout the supply chain.
- Wage
-
£15,600 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Customer service specialist (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday - Friday shifts 8.00am - 4.00pm / 9.00am - 5.00pm initially moving to a rota which will incorporate some 6.00am starts and 8.00pm finishes.
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
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Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
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1 year 3 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Main duties include:
- Ensure the smooth running of the Irish Export function so that it is efficient and professional at all times
- Liaising with internal and external customers, vets, drivers and transport and warehouse functions
- Ensure that accurate and up to date information and communications are passed to the relevant internal and external suppliers and departments to enable a time sensitive and legal compliance operation to function in a professional manner
- Ensuring all information which is required on paperwork and databases are completed and checked as part of due diligence
- Promoting a positive Health, Safety and food safety culture through your individual actions
- Taking calls and communicating issues in a professional and timely manner
- Report any accidents as soon as possible and in compliance with Buffaload Logistics’ accident reporting procedure
- Adhere to all company policies and procedures, including the Uniform Guidelines and Health and Safety Policy
- Carry out other relevant reasonable management requests as required by your Line Manager
- Understanding of export legislation required to complete your daily duties
- Manage any issues regarding customs by communication with the relevant parties
- Taking responsibility for work and helping other and raising any work-task concerns
- Monitor all emails and customer enquiries
- Scanning and matching of all POD’s (proof of delivery notes)
- Accurately file and archive all paperwork
- Retrieve PODs from customer portal
- Record and report all discrepancies receipted on Proof of Deliveries
- Dealing with customer PDS queries in a polite and timely manner
- Any other ad hoc duties
- Process POD requests received via email
- Effectively respond to customer enquiries in a timely manner ensuring that a high level of communication is maintained at all times
- DOT (Delivery on time), TAT (Turnaround time)
Where you'll work
Buffaload Logistics Ltd
Crewe Distribution Centre Gateway
Crewe
CW1 6YY
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
CHESHIRE COLLEGE SOUTH AND WEST
Training course
Customer service specialist (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Business focused service delivery: Demonstrate a continuous improvement and future focussed approach to customer service delivery including decision making and providing recommendations or advice
- Business focused service delivery: Resolve complex issues by being able to choose from and successfully apply a wide range of approaches
- Business focused service delivery: Find solutions that meet your organisations needs as well as the customer requirements
- Providing a positive customer experience: Through advanced questioning, listening and summarising negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes
- Providing a positive customer experience: Manage challenging and complicated situations within your level of authority and make recommendations to enable and deliver change to service or strategy
- Providing a positive customer experience: Use clear explanations, provide options and solutions to influence and help customers make choices and agree next steps
- Providing a positive customer experience: Explore and interpret the customer experience to inform and influence achieving a positive result for customer satisfaction
- Providing a positive customer experience: Demonstrate a cost conscious mind-set when meeting customer and the business needs
- Providing a positive customer experience: Identifying where highs and lows of the customer journey produce a range of emotions in the customer
- Providing a positive customer experience: Use written and verbal communication to simplify and provide complex information in a way that supports positive customer outcome in the relevant format
- Working with customers/customer insights: Proactively gather customer feedback, through a variety of methods. Critically analyse, and evaluate the meaning, implication and facts and act upon it
- Working with customers/customer insights: Analyse your customer types, to identify or anticipate their potential needs and expectations when providing your service
- Customer Service performance: Maintain a positive relationship even when you are unable to deliver the customer’s expected outcome
- Customer Service performance: When managing referrals or escalations take into account historical interactions and challenges to determine next steps
- Service Improvement: Analyse the end to end service experience, seeking input from others where required, supporting development of solutions
- Service Improvement: Make recommendations based on your findings to enable improvement
- Service Improvement: Make recommendations and implement where possible, changes in line with new and relevant legislation, regulations and industry best practice
Training schedule
In-house training plus the candidate will follow a Level 3 Apprenticeship programme and study towards a Level 3 in Customer Service. This training will be structured and delivered online by Cheshire College - South & West. If the candidate does not hold GCSE grades A-C (9-4) or equivalent, they will be required to complete a Level 2 Functional Skill in the relevant subject.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade C/4)
- Maths (grade C/4)
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
We are commutable if the student lives in Crewe, and we are about 10-15 minute walk from Crewe Railway Station if the student lives outside of Crewe.
About this employer
Buffaload Logistics is a UK-based temperature-controlled logistics specialist, providing reliable and efficient transport solutions for chilled and frozen goods across the United Kingdom and Europe. Established with a focus on supporting the food manufacturing and retail sectors, Buffaload has built a strong reputation for delivering time-critical products with precision, consistency, and care.
The company operates a modern fleet of refrigerated vehicles equipped with advanced temperature-monitoring technology, ensuring full compliance with food safety and quality standards. Buffaload’s integrated service offering includes national and international haulage, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain management, allowing clients to streamline operations and maintain product integrity from origin to destination.
Driven by a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and customer service, Buffaload Logistics invests in cutting-edge systems, low-emission transport solutions, and highly trained personnel. Its strategic network and operational expertise enable the business to respond flexibly to customer demands, making it a trusted logistics partner for some of the UK’s leading food producers and retailers.
At its core, Buffaload Logistics is dedicated to delivering excellence through dependable service, operational efficiency, and long-term partnerships.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
The ability to work as a qualified customer service specialist upon successful completion of the apprenticeship.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
CHESHIRE COLLEGE SOUTH AND WEST
Becky Smythe
becky.smythe@ccsw.ac.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000046988.
Apply now
Closes in 13 days (Friday 21 August 2026 at 11:59pm)