Nick Masée,
General Manager of Premier Worldwide Movers Maki Nibayashi
Premier Worldwide Movers
is looking for customer service staff to help people get their possessions in and out of
Japan. Maki Nibayashi moved in on General Manager Nick
Masée to see who's got the muscle.
Tell us about your
company.
Premier Worldwide Movers specializes in the door-to-door, international transportation of
household goods. Although only 3 years young, we have quickly become one of the leading
service providers for foreign and Japanese professionals relocating into and out of Japan.
Our services include complete packing in the home, shipping anywhere in the world by sea
or air, and all the required services involved in the new country of residence. We also
look after insurance arrangements. Our dedicated team of professionals working in our
Tokyo office now total 20, of which eight are non-Japanese. In addition to Japanese and
English, we are able to work with our customers in many languages including French,
Spanish, German, Dutch and Malay.
What kind of advice do you give your customers about moving into or out of Japan?
Moving is one of life's most stressful experiences even if it is just locally, let alone
to another country. One of the biggest problems a lot of our customers face is that they
receive very little notice from their companies in advance of their relocation. That makes
it difficult to get prepared for all of the things that need to be done whenever you move.
We provide a checklist to help our clients remember the important things they need to deal
with in the weeks leading up to the move. Being organized is more than half the battle. We
recommend contacting the moving company of your choice as far in advance of your move date
as you can, preferably with at least two weeks lead-time.
We always encourage customers to make sure they will feel comfortable in their new
environment. In the past, there was a tendency not to move very much of your home when you
relocated overseas. People have learned from experience that it is important in the
settling-in process to have your own familiar belongings with you.
When a move is happening it is also a great time to "clean house." Most of us
have a tendency to accumulate "stuff" over the years and it is good once in a
while to look around and see what is really being used and what is just taking up space.
Most of our customers leaving Japan have us look after items they would like to donate to
charities, send to a recycling shop or even throw away. That allows them to have a fresh
start when they get to their new home overseas.
What positions are you seeking to fill?
Our business is not an easy one to attract potential new staff to. At the moment, we are
trying to hire people for customer service.
What are the responsibilities involved in the positions?
Our customer service staff handle a wide range of activities including all of the
documentation and logistic arrangements for our clients moving in or out of Japan. The
jobs can be stressful at times and are demanding because of the variety of tasks involved
in our daily work and the deadlines associated with this work. The moving industry is not
a career suited for everyone but for those interested, the challenges associated with
making our customers happy, irrespective of the circumstances, can be quite rewarding.
Can you tell us a bit about the salaries, bonuses, etc?
Like most companies, we set our salary levels in accordance with the experience and skills
of the applicable candidate. Since we always seek to employ bilingual (E/J) staff, we do
offer what we believe are better-than-average salary levels for the type of work that is
involved.
WORK IN JAPAN: