About SparkFun
Since 2003, SparkFun has been helping turn ideas into reality – whether you’re creating a smart weather station, exploring the frontier of machine learning, building a robot for school or prototyping your first (or tenth) product. No matter your vision or skill level, our open source components, resources and online tutorials are designed to broaden access to innovative technology and make the road to a finished project shorter.
We are an equal opportunity employer that values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. SparkFun offers an abundance of opportunities to learn new skills from other Funions, in addition to many other benefits and perks.
About SparkFun's Next Customer Support Specialist
The ultimate goal of this position is to ensure those that reach out to SparkFun have great experience with us - positive, proactive, efficient, value-add, beneficial, and resolution oriented. This role acts as the face of SparkFun for our B2C and low-level accounts and has a great impact on customer relationships and loyalty. Being empathetic, engaged and service-oriented to resolve the needs of our customers is key.
Essential Job Functions
1. Support Customers and Potential Customers
- Field incoming chats, emails and faxes - urgency is key
- Quickly recognize and adapt to customer needs; practice empathy and give the benefit of the doubt
- Aim to improve the relationship on every communication
- Determine fair course of action to solve customer issues; know when and how to escalate; follow up with customers to ensure satisfaction with resolution
- Serve as customer advocate internally; serve as SFE advocate with customers
- Understand and articulate SparkFun story, cause, and mission
- Maintain overall order management activities for low-level and B2C accounts (including but not limited to; generate quotes, enter orders, facilitate internal processes [especially for unique circumstances], order/account management through tags, notes and estimated ship information, submit/process incoming return requests)
- Respond to basic product and service questions; provide information about other resources
- With every effort, ensure the customer experience is smooth, fast, and enjoyable
- Maintain record of communications/interactions/activity within relevant internal systems
- Understanding when to escalate potential new opportunities to Sales Specialist or Territory Team Lead
- Always be on the lookout for potential account growth opportunities through identifying potential new B2B accounts, or existing accounts, and having the ability to start the conversation to move the account forward and/or collaborate with Sales Specialist
2. Steer Communications
- Serve as the first line of human contact for anyone initiating contact with SparkFun through standard Support channels
- Know the SparkFun web site (and other online resources) to direct people to relevant resources
- Escalate issues to Territory Team Lead when required
3. Collaborate Within and Across Departments
- Facilitates open communication with Shipping/Warehouse, Supply Chain & Finance as relevant to support customers
- Maintain open communication between team members, including the ability to ask anyone questions and a sense of accountability and ownership to the team
- Cross-train and collaborate/support Sales Specialist, this role will be responsible for providing support for mid-level accounts led by Sales Specialist and backing up team during absence, busy times, and for special initiatives
- Attend business review meetings led by Sales Specialist for mid-level accounts
- Maintain working knowledge of overall account health and status for target mid-level accounts
- Collect and communicate any trends in customer experience - good, bad, otherwise
- Be attuned to SparkFun’s future - know upcoming product/documentation releases and marketing campaigns/promos to inform current or potential customers
- Participate in all Territory Team meetings and internal trainings; understand policies parameters for selling
- Participate in professional development opportunities to increase your product, customer, selling, and industry knowledge
- Collaborate with Sales Specialist in maintenance of accurate and timely sales pipeline and customer database records/activity reports within internal systems
4. Understand, work towards, and report out on key metrics
Required Skills and Abilities:
- 1-3 years of Customer Service experience
- Communication skills - both receptive (listening to understand) and expressive (verbal & written)
- Collaboration skills; adapt to customer and team/company needs
- Service-oriented- for both customers and colleagues; people oriented
- Ability to exercise empathy and patience
- Stellar ability to work under pressure
- Problem-solving skills
- Time management skills and attention to detail
- Computer skills and experience, specifically with: Google suite of products: GMail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc; ERP systems; Customer relationship management systems
SparkFun Benefits & Perks
At SparkFun, we ask a lot of our employees, and that’s why we give so much in return. Here are just some of the benefits:
- Competitive salary
- Medical/dental/vision plan
- Matching 401(k),
- A casual dress code for you
- Dogs - yes, we bring dogs to work
- Full gym with climbing wall. If that’s not your style we offer a monthly gym stipend or onsite yoga
- We have a great employee discount and opportunities to create and share content with the SparkFun community
- Paid Parental Leave
- Paid time to volunteer
- EcoPass (public transportation pass)
- Paid time off + Sick Time
- Summer BBQs, work parties, and more!
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $17.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
- Work from home
Experience level:
- 1 year
Shift:
- Day shift
Weekly day range:
- Monday to Friday
Work setting:
- Remote
Work Location: Remote
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