Customer Experience Specialist

Bookshop.org is an ethical online bookshop on a mission to support independent bookshops and create a more inclusive, community-driven future for online retail. Every order placed through our platform helps financially sustain local bookshops across the UK — giving readers a simple, meaningful way to shop with impact.

We’re a certified B Corporation, recognised for putting people and planet alongside profit. In 2022, we were named Book Retailer of the Year at the British Book Awards and included in B Corp’s Best for the World list.

With a remote-first team, a five-star Trustpilot rating, and a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we’re building a better way to connect readers with books — and with the communities that bring them to life.

We are seeking a dedicated Customer Experience Specialist to join our UK team. In this role, you'll help us deliver genuinely meaningful support — not just to customers, but also to the bookshops and partners we work with. It’s a role where empathy, clarity, and care make a real difference.

We use the term “specialist” because we believe in going the extra mile. Our 5-star Trustpilot rating reflects the quality of care we aim to deliver in every interaction.

We’re building a team made up of people with different perspectives, identities, and experiences — and we’d love you to be a part of it. Your work will help drive the growth of our mission and strengthen the connection between readers and local bookshops.

Role Overview

• Location: Remote within the UK
• Hours: Full-time, 40 hours/week, Monday to Friday
• Reporting to: Ollie, Customer Strategy & Experience Manager
• Travel Expectations:
  • Quarterly team meetups in London (occasionally more frequent)
  • Occasional in-person activities such as bookshop visits and annual UK industry events
  • Note: you'll always be given advance notice of travel requirements. While we're flexible when unexpected circumstances arise, we do expect team members to attend the majority of our in-person gatherings. As a general guide, attending 80% or more is our benchmark. If regular attendance isn't feasible for you, this role may not be the right fit. Bookshop.org covers all travel, accommodation and meal costs for work-related events.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a passionate advocate for Bookshop.org and the independent bookshops we support
• Engage with customers primarily via email and social media
• Resolve customer queries and complaints with empathy and efficiency
• Provide proactive updates about order statuses, delays, and stock issues
• Work with partners — including bookshops and our distribution centre — to resolve problems and improve processes
• Spot and address recurring issues in customer feedback
• Contribute to cross-functional projects — such as email newsletters, refining support materials, working with bookshops to enhance their performance, or operational updates
• Adapt to changes — we’re a growing company, and responsibilities may evolve. If you're wondering “is this part of my job?” the answer is often “let’s figure it out together”

Requirements

• What You’ll Need (or Be Willing to Learn):
  • 1–2 years of customer service or support experience (e-commerce or book industry experience is a plus)
  • Exceptional written communication skills — clear, friendly, empathetic, confident
  • Strong initiative and comfort working independently in a remote team
  • Calm and organised under pressure, especially during busy periods
  • Proactive mindset with problem-solving skills
  • Tech-savvy — confident using digital tools and learning new systems
  • Comfortable supporting customers via email now, with openness to future channels like chat, phone, or video
  • Enthusiasm for Bookshop.org’s mission and values
• Bonus Skills (Nice to Have):
  • Familiarity with G-Suite (Google Docs, Sheets, etc.)
  • Experience using Freshdesk or a similar support platform

Benefits

• Salary: £26,200 (or £28,800 if you live and work from home within Greater London). We follow Real Living Wage benchmarks to ensure fair compensation (though we’re not formally accredited).
• 25 days of holiday (plus UK bank holidays)
• Quarterly in-person meetups in London (occasionally more frequent)
• Remote-first working: work from anywhere in the UK
• Flexible daily schedule: must be available to start by 9:30am
• Book budget to support your reading and learning
• Pension scheme
• Company MacBook provided
• Bike2Work Scheme: save up to 43.25% on the cost of bikes and cycling equipment
• Be part of a B-Corp: join a certified ethical business supporting local bookshops and community-driven retail

Inclusion at Bookshop.org

We believe that books are for everyone — and we want our team to reflect that.

We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but isn’t limited to: people from racially or ethnically diverse backgrounds, people from the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, caregivers, neurodivergent individuals, people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and those with non-traditional career paths.

If you're excited about this role but don’t meet every single requirement, please apply anyway. We value potential, values alignment, and transferable skills just as much as ticking boxes.

Our Hiring Process

1. Submit your application
2. Complete a one-way video interview
3. Complete a short assessment on communication and problem-solving
4. 45-minute video interview with Ollie
5. 30-minute video call with the Head of Operations or Managing Director
6. Receive your offer