Customer Care Specialist

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. As the demand for talented professionals has increased around the world, hiring managers have increasingly relied on the expertise of ECE to review the credentials of employees. ECE is a medium-sized nonprofit organization with just under 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

As a Customer Care Specialist (CCS), no two days are ever the same, but a typical day will most likely include the following responsibilities:

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

Other duties may be assigned.

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Competencies
We are a great place to work and care about our employees, so we want to make sure to highlight a few basic items of what we expect:

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.

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.

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. 

Professionalism - Approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
The good news is that we have a great training process, but here are a few skills you should have from the get-go:

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.

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 $17.45 - $22.24 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 seven 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.

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: CA, CO, NY. 

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.