Customer Services Manager

Customer Services Manager Hinch Distillery

About Hinch Distillery

Hinch Distillery is a premium Irish whiskey and gin distillery based in County Down, Northern Ireland. Known for its commitment to quality, craftsmanship, hospitality, and customer experience, Hinch Distillery serves a broad customer base across 35 markets internationally, retail, online sales, trade accounts, hospitality partners, distillery visitors, events, tours, and tastings.

As the business continues to grow, Hinch Distillery is seeking a professional, organised, and customer-focused Customer Services Manager to develop the customer service function. This role will be central to ensuring that every customer, cask owner, trade partner, and online shopper receives a high-quality service experience that reflects the values and reputation of the Hinch brand.

Role Overview

The Customer Services Manager will be responsible for overseeing all customer service activity across Hinch Distillerys key customer channels which includes distributor partners around the world, cask owners, retailers and DTC fulfilment. This will include order receipt and processing, managing enquiries, supporting order fulfilment, resolving customer issues, coordinating with external logistics partners, internal departments and ensuring the company delivers a consistent, professional, and brand-aligned experience. The successful candidate will work closely with sales, marketing, logistics, production, e-commerce, retail, hospitality, and visitor experience teams to ensure customers receive accurate information, timely communication, and effective support.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver excellent service across all customer touchpoints.
• Efficiently process customer orders from receipt to despatch managing customer enquiries received by phone, email, website, social media, online shop and visitor channels.
• Ensure customer enquiries are responded to promptly, professionally, and in line with company service standards.
• Work closely with logistics, warehouse, production, and sales teams to resolve stock availability, fulfilment, dispatch, and delivery queries.
• Support trade customers, distributors, hospitality partners, and corporate clients with accurate product, order, pricing, and delivery information.
• Maintain accurate customer records using CRM, e-commerce, order management, and internal reporting systems.
• Handle complaints and escalations calmly and fairly, ensuring appropriate investigation, resolution, and follow-up.
• Develop, implement, and maintain customer service procedures, templates, response standards, and best-practice processes.
• Monitor customer feedback and identify recurring issues, trends, or opportunities for improvement.
• Report on key customer service metrics including time to despatch, response times, resolution rates, complaint trends, customer satisfaction, order accuracy, and service performance.
• Support the wider commercial team by sharing customer insights, feedback, and opportunities to improve the customer journey.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of Hinch Distillery products, brand story, visitor experiences, tours, tastings, promotions, and events.
• Liaise with marketing and e-commerce teams to ensure customer-facing information is accurate, clear, and consistent.
• Support seasonal trading periods, product launches, events, promotions, and increased customer demand.
• Ensure customer communications comply with company policies, data protection requirements, alcohol retailing standards, and relevant regulations.
• Promote a culture of professionalism, ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement within the customer service function.

Skills and Experience Required

• Previous experience in a customer service management or customer operations role.
• Experience in alcoholic beverages, logistics within a duty suspended environment, hospitality, FMCG, retail, e-commerce would be advantageous.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Confident handling customer complaints, difficult conversations, and escalations in a calm and professional manner.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Good commercial awareness and an understanding of how customer service supports brand reputation, customer loyalty, and sales growth.
• Experience using CRM, order management, e-commerce, helpdesk, booking, or stock management systems.
• Ability to analyse customer service information and use data to improve performance.
• High attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy in customer communication and record-keeping.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach to problem solving.
• Interest in Irish whiskey, gin, hospitality, food and drink tourism, or premium consumer products would be beneficial.

Personal Attributes

• Customer-focused, approachable, and professional.
• Calm, confident, and resilient under pressure.
• Positive and hands-on team leader.
• Strong problem solver with a practical approach.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Commercially aware and brand-conscious.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively with multiple departments.
• Reliable, discreet, and trustworthy when handling customer and business information.
• Passionate about delivering a high-quality customer and visitor experience.
• Proud to represent Hinch Distillery and its products.

Key Performance Indicators

• Customer response times eg; order to delivery days
• Customer query resolution times.
• Customer satisfaction and feedback scores.
• Complaint volumes, trends, and successful resolution rates.
• Order accuracy and query reduction.
• Quality and accuracy of customer communications.
• Improvements made to customer service processes.
• Internal stakeholder feedback from sales, logistics, visitor experience, and operations teams.

Working Arrangements

Location: Hinch Distillery, Ballynahinch, County Down, Northern IrelandReports to: Managing DirectorEmployment type: Full-time, permanentHours: Full-time hours, with flexibility required to support busy periods, events, promotions, visitor operations, and seasonal tradingSalary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Staff discount on Hinch Distillery products.
• Opportunity to work with a growing premium Irish whiskey and gin brand.
• Training and development opportunities.
• Involvement in product launches, events, tastings, and visitor experience activity.
• Supportive working environment within a developing distillery business.
• Company pension and holiday entitlement in line with company policy.
• Additional benefits to be confirmed by the company.

Equal Opportunities

Hinch Distillery is committed to creating a fair, respectful, and inclusive working environment. Applications are welcomed from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds, and appointments will be made based on skills, experience, and suitability for the role.

How to Apply

To apply for the role of Customer Services Manager Hinch Distillery, please send your CV and a covering letter outlining your relevant experience and interest by clicking apply!

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