Customer Service Representative - Maternity cover

Meet the company behind the Z Factor! At ZIM, we believe shipping can be exciting. In a fast-moving industry, we’ve made our mark with a fresh and unique approach; we’re all about our people, and our people are all about the Z Factor.

So, what is our Z Factor? It’s the spirit of Innovation and Togetherness, it’s the Can-Do Approach, the Agility in thought and action, it’s the personal touch with both employees and customers.

Driving Global Trade Forward: Operating globally in over 90 countries, and serving over 32,000 customers in 300 ports worldwide, our differentiated global-niche strategy covers major trade routes with a focus on select markets.

Our mission? To deliver an outstanding customer experience. We’ve blended cutting-edge, data-driven strategies with creative, tailored solutions to keep up with our customers’ evolving needs.

Are you ready to unleash your Z Factor?

Who we are looking for:

The Customer Service Representative works within the Customer Service Department and plays a key role in delivering a high-quality customer experience throughout the shipment lifecycle. The role is responsible for managing customer interactions and service requests in a timely, accurate and proactive manner, ensuring compliance with defined service levels and contributing to the continuous improvement of customer satisfaction.

The ideal candidate takes ownership of customer requests from initial contact through resolution, proactively monitors service schedules and shipment-related activities, identifies and communicates potential issues or changes, and ensures that all relevant information and actions are accurately captured and followed up.

The role also actively supports customers in adopting ZIM’s digital solutions, promotes the use of MyZIM and contributes to increasing customer engagement and satisfaction through proactive communication and feedback collection.

Strong attention to detail, responsiveness, accountability and a proactive mindset are essential to successfully manage competing priorities, meet demanding SLAs and deliver a consistent and reliable customer experience.

Main Job Responsibilities

Customer Service & Customer Care

• Provide timely, professional and proactive support to customers through various communication channels, including phone, email and digital platforms.

• Manage customer inquiries, service requests and complaints, ensuring accurate, efficient and timely resolution in line with defined service levels.

• Take ownership of customer requests from initial contact through resolution, ensuring appropriate follow-up and escalation where required.

• Build sustainable relationships and trust with customer accounts through clear, open and proactive communication.

• Ensure high service standards and contribute to achieving agreed customer satisfaction targets.

• Proactively collect customer feedback and encourage customers to participate in company surveys.

Operational Coordination & Support

• Coordinate with Operations, Documentation, Logistics and Sales teams to ensure effective and timely resolution of customer and shipment-related matters.

• Monitor assigned shipments and service schedules throughout the day, identifying discrepancies, delays or changes and taking the appropriate follow-up actions.

• Support customers with shipment follow-up, status updates, ETA information and communication of relevant operational changes.

• Manage and communicate operational updates, including schedule changes, port omissions, cargo confirmations and other shipment-related notifications.

• Support the management of rollings and short shipments, ensuring timely and accurate communication to customers and internal stakeholders.

• Identify, escalate and follow up on operational issues when required, ensuring clear ownership until resolution.

• Maintain effective and proactive communication between customers and internal stakeholders.

Documentation & Data Accuracy

• Maintain and update customer, service request and shipment information accurately within internal systems and operational platforms.

• Ensure data consistency, completeness and accuracy across relevant systems and files.

• Ensure that service requests and customer interactions are properly recorded and categorized in accordance with established processes.

• Verify, organize and archive operational documentation accurately and in a timely manner.

• Support internal and external audit requirements through proper document management and accurate record keeping.

Digital Tools & Customer Adoption

• Actively promote the use of ZIM digital tools and self-service solutions, including MyZIM.

• Support customers with MyZIM registration, onboarding and adoption, proactively identifying opportunities to increase the use of digital channels.

• Take ownership of customer adoption activities and follow up proactively to ensure timely completion of registration and onboarding activities.

• Encourage customers to use digital solutions to improve service efficiency and enhance their overall experience.

Continuous Improvement & Customer Focus

• Contribute to process improvements aimed at enhancing customer experience, service efficiency and operational effectiveness.

• Identify recurring customer issues, non-actionable requests and process inefficiencies, and contribute to initiatives aimed at reducing unnecessary requests.

• Proactively identify opportunities to improve service quality, responsiveness and customer satisfaction.

• Demonstrate a strong ownership mindset, taking initiative and anticipating customer needs rather than relying solely on follow-up or escalation.

Who we are looking for:

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Logistics, Economics, Business Administration or related fields.

• Previous experience in Customer Service roles, preferably within the Shipping, Logistics or Freight Forwarding industry.

• Experience in shipping, logistics or maritime transportation environments is an advantage.

• Good command of written and spoken English.

• Good knowledge of MS Office tools (Excel, Outlook, Word).

• Strong customer-oriented mindset and communication skills.

• Attention to detail and problem-solving attitude.

Job Location: Genova, Italia

Contract Type: Maternity cover up to end of April 2026

Salary Range: 26.000 E – 31.000 E

Hybrid working arrangement up to 20% of the time

How do we hire?

Our recruitment process focuses on finding the right match.

ZIM’s exceptional teams are crafted from individuals who not only possess the right skills but also share our passion and values.

We're committed to understanding your background, skills, and aspirations because we believe that's the foundation for fostering excellence.

When you apply for a position at ZIM, we want to make sure it’s the most suitable fit – for both of us!

We believe in equal opportunities: At ZIM, we prioritize diversity of our qualified employees. We celebrate differences and embed them into every aspect of our workplace, services, and our community.

ZIM is proud and committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship, nationality, disability, veteran status, or any other aspects protected by law. In addition, ZIM provides accommodation to individuals with disabilities or special needs.