Customer Care Specialist

Shelby American, Inc.; Milwaukee (WI); Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established nonprofit organization is seeking a dedicated Customer Service Representative to join their remote team. In this role, you will assist individuals and educational institutions through various communication channels, ensuring they receive accurate information and exceptional service. Your ability to navigate customer inquiries, interpret policies, and problem-solve effectively will be crucial in creating a positive experience for clients. This role offers the opportunity to work in a supportive environment that values work-life balance, professional development, and a commitment to service excellence. If you thrive in a dynamic setting and are passionate about helping others, this position is perfect for you.

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

403b Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Flexible Scheduling

Remote Work Opportunities

Life Insurance

Paid Holidays

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; experience in customer service preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Respond to customer inquiries via phone, chat, and email.
• Maintain accurate records of customer communication.
• Provide quality service and manage difficult customer situations.

Skills

Customer Service

Interpersonal Skills

Judgment

Professionalism

Communication Skills

Problem Solving

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Web-based applications

Live Chat

Job description

Location: Remote, Wisconsin-based candidates preferred

Hours: 40 hours/week, Monday - Friday

About ECE

Celebrating over 40 years of success, ECE is one of the most well-known and respected names in comparative international education. Our main product, an educational credential evaluation, is a report used by counselors, recruiters, registrars, and admissions officers in the U.S. and elsewhere to determine how the academic history of a foreign-educated individual matches up to American grading scales and standards. ECE is a medium-sized nonprofit organization with just over 100 employees.

Summary

Working in a nonprofit call center environment, assists individuals and educational institutions via phone, chat, and email. Accurately interpreting company policy and procedures answers customer inquiries and provides information on fees and services. Addresses customer concerns and explains policies and procedures. Uses sound judgment to determine when and to whom issues should be escalated.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

1. Responds to incoming customer requests by providing accurate information to new and existing customers.
2. Maintains precise records of all customer communication.
3. Uses appropriate judgment to determine to whom and when to transfer calls to other staff.
4. Effectively understands policies and procedures to be able to interpret customer needs and problem solve.
5. Serves as a subject matter expert for all standard ECE product offerings.
6. Assists customers with website and application navigation and questions. Troubleshoots problems to effectively escalate to technical support when appropriate.
7. Ensures that the customer receives quality service. Listens attentively and responds effectively to customer complaints.
8. Manages difficult or emotional customer situations and balances customer needs with organizational policies, creating resolutions that provide customer satisfaction.
9. Articulates ideas clearly and concisely in a variety of manners through written and verbal communication while adjusting the message to match the request.
10. Composes professional and informative responses to written inquiries.
11. Other duties may be assigned.

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Requirements

Competencies

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations, responds promptly to customer needs for service and assistance, keeps emotions under control, shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences.
2. Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on finding solutions, listens to others without interrupting, remains open to others' ideas, remains calm, rational, and works for the best possible outcome, uses multiple strategies to deescalate challenging situations, professionally acknowledges emotional situations, is considerate, respectful, and uses empathy appropriately, seeks clarification of problems or issues.
3. Judgment - Accurately and objectively reviews data and information, uses a step-by-step process to reach decisions, uses sound judgment to make decisions based on information provided and applies company policy and processes accurately.
4. Professionalism - Approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position.
5. Communication (Written and Verbal) - Speaks clearly and credibly in positive or negative situations, listens actively and requests for clarification, responds well to questions, expresses ideas effectively in both written and verbal communication, writes clearly and informatively, edits work for spelling and grammar, varies writing style to meet needs, able to read and interpret written information.
6. Delivers Results (Quality/Quantity) - Applies feedback to improve performance, monitors own work to ensure quality, meets productivity standards, completes work in a timely manner, strives to increase productivity.
7. Workload Management - Maintains accurate records even when interruptions occur, able to move from task to task without reducing the quality of work, stays productive during slower work periods, budgets time wisely by prioritizing tasks appropriately, uses effective tracking mechanisms and resources appropriately, able to manage multiple competing work activities.
8. Commitment & Responsibility - Follows instructions, responds to management direction, keeps commitments, is consistently at work and on time, ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent, applies ECE policy appropriately.
9. Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner, gathers and analyzes information skillfully, uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics, determines appropriate and correct conclusions to resolve challenges.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Education and/or Experience

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required, experience and/or training in a customer service phone environment preferred. Demonstrated knowledge of higher education, either through attendance or work experience in an academic or educational setting, a nonprofit organization, or a professional office setting such as a government or legal office preferred.

Communication Skills

Excellent written and oral communication is a must. Experience using Chat as a communication tool is a plus.

Computer Skills

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of web-based applications, the Internet, and live chat.

Foreign Language Skills

No foreign language skills are required for this position. However, familiarity with foreign language and/or culture are preferred. ECE serves individuals, institutions, and other key stakeholders from all over the world.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide into all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

What does ECE offer?

ECE offers a competitive base salary and comprehensive benefits. Compensation for this position is $18.06 - $21.12 per hour depending on experience and qualifications.

We believe balancing personal life and work life leads to engaged, productive, and satisfied employees. Many positions offer remote work opportunities and flexible scheduling options. The benefits package includes employer-sponsored life insurance and a rich 403b retirement plan contribution match in addition to health, dental, vision, flex spending account, and other voluntary insurance options. There are nine paid holidays annually and generous paid time off benefits in addition to flexible and/or remote work opportunities for qualified positions. Employees have opportunities to develop their professional skills through internal and external training.

ECE is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Work Location

This is a remote position. Wisconsin-based individuals will receive preference. ECE is currently unable to work with candidates living in the following states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Washington D.C.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to be mobile; walk and stoop, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.