Customer Support Coordinator

Role Overview

SF: Formulations is looking for an organised Customer Support Coordinator to join its office-based team in Ashford, Kent. This is a permanent, part-time position working 3–4 days each week. The role is positioned within Client Services / Customer Support and reports to the General Manager.

The salary is stated as £29,000 full-time equivalent, adjusted on a pro-rata basis for the agreed working pattern.

About SF: Formulations

SF: Formulations works with brands to develop innovative, high-quality supplement products. The team supports the full early development process, including product development, formulation, technical guidance, flavour work, sampling, compliance, and client project coordination.

As part of a wider group, the business collaborates with nutritionists, chemists, flavour specialists, laboratory staff, researchers, developers, supply chain, commercial, quality, production, and compliance teams to provide practical and technically sound support to clients.

The company is expanding quickly, currently serving around 300 active clients and aiming to grow to 500 by the end of the year. To support this growth, the customer support function is being strengthened so clients receive timely, professional, and commercially sensible communication.

What the Role Involves

You will be one of two key team members handling client enquiries for a busy and growing customer base. The inbox currently receives around 50 queries a day, and that volume is expected to rise as the business scales.

These enquiries may be straightforward status requests or more complex matters involving project timelines, product details, formulations, ingredients, commercial decisions, regulation, or scientific information. The role is focused on resolving issues, not simply sending acknowledgement messages.

You will need to assess the real issue behind each query, determine what information is missing, coordinate input from the right internal teams, and bring together a complete and considered response for the client. Strong judgement, logical thinking, and the confidence to escalate when needed are essential.

The business uses in-house AI tools to help draft responses, but the final quality control remains with you. You will be expected to review, edit, challenge, and improve draft replies before they are sent.

You will also work with an internal management portal that tracks client projects. A key part of the job is making sure information from the inbox is reflected accurately and in real time within the portal so that progress is visible across the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a key first contact for client enquiries across a portfolio of roughly 300 customers.
• Sort incoming requests by urgency, complexity, and the type of support needed.
• Manage a high-volume support inbox that currently handles about 50 messages per day and continues to grow.
• Own client issues through to resolution, ensuring responses are meaningful and solution-focused.
• Investigate requests thoroughly and gather the information needed for a complete reply.
• Coordinate tasks with internal teams such as NPD, technical, nutrition, chemistry, flavour, laboratory, research, development, supply chain, commercial, quality, production, and compliance.
• Use AI-assisted drafting tools while taking full responsibility for the accuracy, tone, and final content of all client communications.
• Apply sound reasoning to queries involving commercial, operational, technical, or scientific detail.
• Keep the project management portal updated with current client progress and relevant case details.
• Move information from the enquiries inbox into the portal so records stay accurate and visible.
• Work with internal specialists including nutritionists, MSc and PhD chemists, flavourists, lab technicians, researchers, developers, supply chain, commercial, quality, production technicians, and compliance staff.
• Escalate sensitive or complicated matters to the General Manager or another senior colleague when necessary.
• Spot recurring issues or common customer pain points and contribute to better processes, FAQs, templates, portal workflows, and communication standards.
• Help clients feel informed and supported even when their issue requires input from several departments.
• Balance urgent, routine, and complex queries effectively.

About You

The ideal candidate will be mature, commercially aware, and comfortable dealing with pressure and complexity. This role suits someone with experience in customer support, coordination, administration, technical support, account support, or client services who wants to apply that background in a fast-moving product development environment.

You should be organised, calm, and able to make practical decisions when information is incomplete. The role calls for someone who can ask the right internal questions, challenge unclear details, and shape responses that are accurate, useful, and commercially appropriate.

Above all, you should enjoy problem-solving and take satisfaction in getting to the root of a customer issue rather than just managing it superficially.

This is not an entry-level office role. It requires proven experience, sound judgement, and confidence in managing a busy customer communication function with professionalism.

Experience and Skills

• Background in customer support, customer service, client services, account coordination, sales support, technical support, or administrative coordination.
• Strong written English and the ability to produce clear, professional, and well-structured emails.
• Confident verbal communication skills for working with internal colleagues and gathering information quickly.
• Strong reasoning and problem-solving ability.
• Ability to identify the underlying issue in a customer enquiry and choose the right response approach.
• Experience coordinating tasks across multiple departments to resolve client matters.
• Ability to combine input from different stakeholders into one coherent, accurate, and commercially appropriate reply.
• Comfort using AI-enabled tools while still owning the quality of the final response.
• Good organisation skills and the ability to manage a busy inbox with several open cases at once.
• High attention to detail, especially when handling technical, commercial, or product-related information.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of how customer communication affects client relationships.
• Experience with digital systems such as portals, CRMs, helpdesks, or project tools.
• Experience in an office-based role where reliability, professionalism, and teamwork matter.
• Confidence following processes while also knowing when to escalate or ask for clarification.
• Comfort using email systems, CRMs, spreadsheets, and standard office software.

Desirable Experience

• Exposure to food manufacturing, supplements, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, FMCG, or another technical product environment.
• Experience dealing with questions about specifications, ingredients, production timing, samples, quality, compliance, or technical details.
• Use of AI tools, email templates, CRM platforms, helpdesk software, ticketing systems, or project portals.
• Understanding of manufacturing workflows, product development, supply chains, or B2B support.
• Experience supporting a growing business with a large amount of customer communication.
• Working closely with technical, scientific, commercial, or operational teams.

Working Pattern and Employment Details

This is a part-time, permanent, office-based role in Ashford, Kent. The working pattern is 3–4 days per week. The salary is based on a full-time equivalent of £29,000 and will be adjusted pro-rata to match the agreed schedule.