Customer Services Agent

Sage; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Sage in Johannesburg is seeking a Customer Services Agent to deliver expert guidance on SBCA/Pastel Payroll queries and technical challenges. You will engage with customers, advisors, partners, and alliances to understand needs and drive value while minimizing business disruption.

This hybrid role requires strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and a customer-first mindset, with 3 days in the office and the rest remote as needed.

Qualifications

• Certified in SBCA/Pastel Payroll products.
• Strong customer support and experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilites.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to priorities.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert-level support and resolve complex product escalations for Customer Support teams and stakeholders.
• Investigate, diagnose, and troubleshoot software and system-related issues by identifying root causes and implementing solutions.
• Accurately log events of each customer query in the CRM.
• Collaborate with internal teams and stakeholders to improve support processes.
• Identify knowledge gaps and contribute to training and knowledge management.

Skills

SBCA/Pastel certified

Customer support

Communication

Troubleshooting

Problem solving

Independent worker

Tools

CRM software

Support platforms

Job description

Are you passionate about solving problems, helping customers succeed, and becoming a trusted product expert? As a Customer Services Agent, you will play a critical role in delivering exceptional support to our SBCA/Pastel Payroll customers by providing expert guidance on complex product-related queries and technical challenges.

You will engage with customers, advisors, partners, and alliances to understand their unique requirements, identify root causes, and deliver effective solutions that minimize disruption to their business operations. Through analytical thinking, strong troubleshooting skills, and a customer-first mindset, you will help customers maximize the value of our solutions while contributing to continuous improvements across our support environment.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to deepen your product expertise, influence customer experience, and contribute to digital transformation initiatives that drive efficiency, innovation, and customer success.

Location - 3 days per week out of our Johannesburg office.

• Provides expert knowledge by supporting and resolving complex product escalations for Customer Support and other stakeholders
• Deliver timeous communication to the Customer Support teams relating to product updates, software releases, bug fixes
• Identifies the root cause of the customers software or system issues and uses system analysis and testing techniques to solve highly complex application or system issues
• Monitors trending customer issues to develop proactive communication and customer education
• Contributes to the overall Digital Transformation objectives through improving efficiencies and quality across online platforms
• Manages the logging process of software bugs or product enhancements and ensures timeous resolution
• Works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders
• Continuously finding ways to enable all our customers to be self-sufficient in minimizing time to solve complex application support queries
• Prioritizes workload when resources change, managing time and resources effectively to ensure the best possible outcome for the customer, employee, and organization
• Remains relevant on the latest technical and business knowledge in all assigned applications, as well as support processes and procedures.
• Actively participate in internal projects such as product enhancements processes, training development, capturing, and maintaining knowledge capital, improving overall support skills, and improving customer service in the department as assigned.
• Identify knowledge gaps related to product support and collaborate with line managers and training facilitators to close the gap
• Flexibility in supporting/moving to other products within customer support (demand driven)
• Ensuring that you have a good understanding of clients' requirements
• Apply yourself to Investigate queries by narrowing down the cause of the issue.
• Prepare response that's articulate how fixes should be applied sequentially and methodically.
• Accurately log events of each customer query on our internal CRM.
• Customer Support & Problem Resolution
• Provide expert-level support and resolve complex product escalations for Customer Support teams and key stakeholders.
• Investigate, diagnose, and troubleshoot software and system-related issues by identifying root causes and implementing effective solutions.
• Analyze customer requirements and issues thoroughly to ensure accurate and timely resolutions.
• Deliver clear, professional, and easy-to-follow guidance that enables customers to resolve issues efficiently.
• Handle challenging customer interactions with professionalism, empathy, and confidence.
• Product Expertise & Knowledge Sharing
• Maintain expert knowledge of SBCA/Pastel Payroll products, support processes, and industry best practices.
• Communicate product updates, software releases, enhancements, and bug fixes effectively to Customer Support teams.
• Identify knowledge gaps and collaborate with managers and training teams to strengthen product capability across the business.
• Actively contribute to training initiatives, knowledge management, and documentation to enhance overall support effectiveness.
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Monitor customer trends and recurring issues to identify opportunities for proactive communication and customer education.
• Drive continuous improvement by contributing to digital transformation initiatives that enhance customer experience, quality, and operational efficiency.
• Support the logging, tracking, and resolution of software defects and product enhancement requests.
• Continuously identify opportunities to empower customers through self-service and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Stakeholder Collaboration
• Build strong working relationships with internal teams, customers, advisors, partners, and alliances.
• Collaborate across departments to ensure timely resolution of customer issues and continuous improvement of support processes.
• Demonstrate flexibility by supporting additional products and business requirements as operational needs evolve.
• Operational Excellence
• Accurately capture and maintain customer interactions within internal CRM systems.
• Manage workload effectively, balancing priorities to achieve the best outcomes for customers and the business.
• Adhere to escalation procedures, service standards, and performance benchmarks.
• Encourage customer feedback through post-interaction surveys to support ongoing service improvements.
• Take ownership of personal development by continuously expanding product, technical, and customer service knowledge.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Essential Requirements

• Certified in SBCA/Pastel Payroll products.
• Strong understanding of customer support environments and customer experience principles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to actively listen, ask probing questions, and simplify complex business processes.
• Ability to investigate, diagnose, and resolve technical queries effectively.
• Comfortable working independently while managing uncertainty and changing priorities.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to work within structured processes and service level requirements.
• Ability to learn and apply technical knowledge while adhering to policies, procedures, and support standards.
• Resilient and professional when handling challenging customer interactions.
• Commitment to following established escalation and support protocols.

Technical Competencies

• Product and application troubleshooting.
• Customer support and service excellence.
• Technical problem analysis and resolution.
• Effective verbal and written communication.
• CRM and support platform proficiency.
• Industry experience within payroll