Description
Customer Support Specialist - Tier 1 (Contract Position)

NWEA's Partner Support Team is hiring temporary staff to support a high volume of calls as we move into the fall back to school season. NWEA's mission to 'help all kids learn' has never been more relevant as we work to support educators, students, and families in these unprecedented times. The Partner Support Team is not your traditional contact center; we are an incredibly collaborative and dynamic group of individuals working together to support educators and each other. We value the partner experience and want our team to be authentic in their interactions. The interactions had between our team and partners are probably unlike that of any other customer experience you may had working in other call centers. We pride ourselves on having a growth mindset, the ability to manage ambiguous situations, and a strong desire to do right by our partners and students.

Details...

• This is a fully work-from-home position in which a dedicated, quiet space and secure home internet is required ; hardware equipment will be provided by NWEA
• Qualified applicants from all US time zones (Eastern in particular) are encouraged to apply
• Pay is $18 per hour
• 5am Pacific Standard Time start time
• Contract length - this is a temporary role lasting from late March to late May dependent on work volume
• Possibility of role converting to full-time depending on performance and business need

Position Summary...

The Customer Support Specialist, Tier 1 role provides first level product support to NWEA customers, referred to as 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.

The Customer Support Specialist role manages high call volume during back to school preparation and testing in the fall and then again in the winter and spring testing seasons. 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 and external 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 assess problems and apply creative problem-solving to identify alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to incidents
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to multi-task
• Excellent listening skills and tactful questioning in a calm manner to promote collaboration with partners
• Ability to be on time and demonstrate excellent attendance

Education and Experience...

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Minimum of two years call center, product-based support experience or related work activities
• Those with an educational background encouraged to apply
• Proficiency in Salesforce preferred, other CRM experience a plus

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.
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.

NWEA™ endeavors to make www.nwea.org accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please call us at (503) 624-1951 or e-mail us at onlineaccommodations@nwea.org and let us know the nature of your request, your location and your contact information. This is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

NWEA™ is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit the EEOC website