Customer Support Specialist – Tier 1
Note: This is a fully remote, work-from-home position in which a dedicated, quiet space and secure home internet is required; hardware equipment will be provided by NWEA.
Position Summary
The Customer Support Specialist, Tier 1 role provides first level product support to NWEA partners as part of the Partner Support Team. The Partner Support Team functions as a contact center environment fielding questions from educators via calls, email, and chat. The team focuses on creative problem solving to help ensure educators and students have the best possible experience using NWEA products.
This role helps to support high call volume during back-to-school preparation and testing in the fall. Customer Support Specialists find solutions to product and technical challenges for educators and educational support staff of varying technical proficiency by utilizing NWEA’s robust knowledge base and peer support.
Responsibilities
- Handle first level support (calls, emails, and chats) for common issues related to NWEA’s products, including preparation for testing, managing test sessions, and interpretation of reporting data
- Investigate and resolve incidents regarding software products, services, and reports
- Lead partners through diagnostic procedures by listening to and providing instructions and replicating the issue internally when applicable
- Document conversations you have with partners by recording clear, concise, accurate, and detailed case notes for every interaction in CRM
- Create high quality and consistent partner and staff written communication, including via email and internal instant messaging
- Escalate advanced technical issues to Tier 2 peers as needed and alert management of flaws found in software products and services
- Utilize resources such as NWEA’s Knowledge Base, diagnostic tools, and collaboration with co-workers to research incidents and find solutions
- Respond to partner’s questions regarding computer software and procedures in a professional, empathetic, and upbeat manner
- Maintain a high-quality partner experience within a reasonable amount of time by maintaining a high customer satisfaction score and reasonable handle time to meet team goals
- Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts to ensure that resources are updated and accurate
Skills and Abilities
- Ability to determine the cause of operating errors and properly resolve them
- Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to multi-task
- Ability to critically think using logic and reasoning to identify alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to incidents
- Excellent listening skills and tactful questioning in a calm manner to promote collaboration with partners
- Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills through the application of knowledge and creativity
- Possess a growth mindset
- Ability to be on time and demonstrate excellent attendance, except where allowed by state and federal law
- Ability to sit in one place for extended periods of time
Competencies
- Action oriented: take on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
- Customer focus: build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions.
- Communicate effectively: develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
- Manage ambiguity: operate effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.
- Collaborate: build partnerships and work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
- Interpersonal savvy: relate openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.
- Decision quality: make good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
- Drive results: consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances.
- Demonstrate self-awareness: use a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
- Instill trust: gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
Education and experience
- High school diploma or equivalent required
- Minimum of two years call center or technical, product-based support experience or related work activities
- Those with an educational background encouraged to apply
- Proficiency in Salesforce desired
About Us…
NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K–12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.
What We Can Offer You…
At NWEA we not only offer a competitive base salary, we offer a 15% contribution of eligible employees’ base salary to a defined contribution 403(b) retirement savings plan; career development opportunities; an awesome work culture and environment; we also offer industry leading benefits and perks that are focused on supporting our employees’ holistic wellbeing. To learn more about what we can offer more, click here.
NWEA strives to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices the center of our work. Our organization’s mission, Partnering to Help All Kids Learn, is the foundation for our DEIA commitment as we work to reflect, value, and support the educators, students, colleagues, and communities we serve. We seek to empower and engage all stakeholders in the research, services, solutions, and products we provide, our organizational culture, and the partnerships we establish with schools, districts, states, and countries.
