Customer Care Assistant

Michigan Virtual•Lansing, MI

22h•$18 - $20•Hybrid

About The Position

The Customer Care Assistant serves as the first point of contact for Michigan Virtual’s stakeholders, including students, mentors, teachers, parents, and staff. This role is responsible for building strong, positive relationships with stakeholders by delivering exceptional customer service. Service is provided by answering inquiries via the phone and an online ticketing system, and other digital communication channels, resolving issues related to course access, learning management system, student information systems, and system navigation. Additionally, the Customer Care Assistant provides internal support to Michigan Virtual staff, assisting with troubleshooting, system-related and general inquiries. The Customer Care Assistant also conducts course audits to maintain quality and ensure accessibility for users. As a key representative of Michigan Virtual, this role requires strong communication skills, technical aptitude, a customer-focused mindset, and the ability to provide timely and accurate support to ensure a positive experience for all stakeholders. Michigan Virtual is a Lansing-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation where every employee contributes to advancing K-12 education through digital learning, research, innovation, policy and partnerships. We believe that we have a responsibility to innovate K-12 learning by designing systems that are more flexible and more equitable to meet the needs of all students, no matter their situation. We employ over 300 full- and part-time teachers, professionals, and other staff who like to have fun at work and are committed to making a difference for students, educators, and families in the state of Michigan. Our Strategic Plan outlines our strategic priorities to support Michigan's K-12 systems through 2030. Our Mission is to Maximize learning and teaching by bringing together the best in people and technology. Our Vision is to Be Michigan’s leader for innovation in education. Our Values are: Put Learners First, Act with Integrity, Champion Diversity, Commit to Excellence, and Cultivate Creativity. We believe in a culture of caring. A people-first culture that strives to make every employee feel welcome, heard, valued, and empowered to contribute while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Find out more about our culture, workplace, and benefits that support our employees. Work That Makes a Difference. Culture That Makes It Possible. What to expect after you apply: Apply now and help us support education in Michigan! A member of our Human Resources team will review applications materials throughout the posting. Yes, all submissions are reviewed by a real person! If you are selected to move forward in the process, we will reach out with details. If you are not moved forward, we will let you know that, as well. We will start this process after the posting closes in mid August. We are planning for a start date in mid- September. As a non-profit organization that received funding from the State of Michigan, we give preference to residents of Michigan in hiring decisions.

Requirements

2 years of college-level education required and/or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
2-3 years demonstrated experience in customer service principles and practices.
Demonstrated experience in relevant software applications and a variety of technologies including Microsoft Office products, Google Suite, and LMS.
Above average abilities in verbal and written communication and listening skills. Good grammar, spelling, and punctuation is required.
Interpersonal skills and ability to present information to diverse groups (small and large).
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries and work harmoniously with diverse groups of stakeholder, students, parents, teachers, and staff.
Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.
Problem analysis and problem-solving to assess alternatives and evaluate risks before making commitments.
A working knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and applications relevant to the role, with the ability to use AI appropriately to support productivity, create new value, strengthen human connections, and improve work processes.
Attention to detail and accuracy.
Desire to take initiative and to deliver quality customer service.
Adaptability and ability to work effectively under stress.
Demonstrated commitment to contribute to a safe work environment.
Ability to work a standard forty-hour which includes a hybrid schedule based on organizational needs.

Nice To Haves

Experience in K-12 education and customer service preferred.
Experience with Freshdesk or other customer ticketing platforms.
Knowledge of online learning, data privacy, conflict resolution skills, documentation skills, and problem solving abilities.

Responsibilities

Maintains expert understanding of all products, services, and resources, and customer-facing technology platforms.
Maintains high degree of competence in all software applications, learning management systems (LMS), student information systems (SIS), ticketing system (Freshdesk), customer relationship management (CRM) tools, standard practices, and processes.
Identifies, researches, and maintains key relationships in the K-12 community.
Advocates for customers by identifying, researching, and addressing customer needs.
Facilitates customers’ effective use of courses, resources, and services.
Conducts beginner level testing of courses, systems, and platform enhancements from the customer perspective to ensure a quality experience.
Works with other team members to ensure onboarding of new customers.
Identifies, researches and solves Tier-1 and some Tier-2 technical issues for Student Learning Portal (SLP) and Professional Learning Portal (PLP) in conjunction with other team members to resolve issues.
Creates internal documents and resources to improve customer experience with complex processes. Creates external documents and resources to share with the customer to walk through complex processes. Writes communication templates, process documents, and helps maintain the Customer Care database.
Records customer interactions including details of inquiries, comments and actions taken in a ticketing system. A high level of accurate information collection is required.
Resolves product or service inquiries by clarifying the customer's information request, investigating contributing factors, identifying solutions and taking action to assure satisfaction.
Directs requests and/or unresolved issues to the appropriate resource and follows up to assure customer satisfaction.
Communicates customer intelligence gathered regarding existing and potential products or services to appropriate internal departments. Collects, records, analyzes, and reports customer information regarding opportunities, challenges, and recommendations for action. Communication gateway between internal customers and external users about systems issues reported by external users.
Maintains an expert degree of competence in the SLP and PLP and regularly contributes to application improvements.
Leverages AI tools, where appropriate, to enhance efficiency and creativity in daily workflows, while exercising professional judgment to ensure accuracy, ethics, and data privacy. Uses AI tools to improve efficiency and the customer experience.
Other duties as assigned.
On occasion, may be required to travel for offsite support and training.
Solicits feedback from the “field” (teachers/administrators) after new resources and services are launched.
Contributes a customer perspective to cross-functional project teams.
Gathers customer information for new sales leads.
Triages customers in ticketing system to better assist customers during peak times, and unexpected volume.