** Remote Customer Service jobs – Full‑Time Support Specialist in Duluth, Minnesota – $45‑55k base + performance bonus – English‑speaking, Zendesk & CRM expertise

**TITLE:** Remote Customer Service jobs – Full‑Time Support Specialist in Duluth, Minnesota – $45‑55k base + performance bonus – English‑speaking, Zendesk & CRM expertise --- We’re a midsized software company that built a niche analytics platform for boutique retailers. Over the past 18 months we grew our client base from 120 to 470 accounts, and that surge has put a premium on genuine human interaction. That’s why we’re looking for a **Remote Customer Service Agent** who lives in Duluth, Minnesota (or is willing to claim the zip code for tax purposes) and can be the voice that turns a vague complaint into a clear win. ### Why this role exists now Our product roadmap just launched version 4.2, which introduced three new self‑service modules: inventory forecasting, dynamic pricing, and a mobile‑first dashboard. Early adopters loved the features, but they also flagged a spike in “how‑to” tickets – a 42 % increase from Q2 to Q3. Our current support team of eight agents handled an average of 1,250 tickets a month, but the backlog grew to a 2‑week SLA breach on high‑priority cases. To protect our brand reputation and keep our churn under 3 %, we need a dedicated, full‑time liaison who can hit the ground running and help us bring the **average first‑response time** down from 3.4 hours to under 2 hours within the next 90 days. ### Who we are - **Team size:** 85 employees worldwide, with a 25‑person Customer Success group that reports directly to our VP of Client Experience. - **Culture:** We operate on a “one‑team” principle. Every Monday we do a 15‑minute “win‑share” on Zoom where agents can shout out a customer that turned a frown into a smile. - **Remote‑first:** Even though we’re hiring in Duluth, Minnesota, all our tools are cloud‑based, so you’ll never need to drive into a corporate office (unless you want to meet us for a quarterly in‑person offsite in Denver). > “I still remember the first time I helped a customer turn a frustrated call into a genuine thank‑you email. It was a simple ‘thank you’ that made me realize the real impact of good service.” – *Lena, Senior Support Agent, 2022* ### What you’ll do (day‑to‑day) 1. **First‑line triage** – Respond to inbound emails, live‑chat, and phone calls using Zendesk (primary ticketing system) and Freshdesk (secondary for legacy accounts). 2. **Problem solving** – Diagnose issues across our SaaS stack, replicating bugs in the sandbox environment and escalating to Engineering with clear reproduction steps. 3. **Knowledge‑base stewardship** – Add, edit, and tag at least five articles per week in our Confluence‑hosted repository, ensuring customers can self‑serve 30 % of routine queries. 4. **Customer education** – Conduct 20‑minute Zoom or Microsoft Teams webinars twice a month, walking new clients through the onboarding checklist in HubSpot. 5. **Metrics ownership** – Track CSAT (target ≥ 92 %), NPS (target ≥ 70), and First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates, feeding data back into our Salesforce dashboard for quarterly reviews. 6 **Cross‑functional liaison** – Partner with Product Management to relay feature‑request trends, and with Billing to resolve payment disputes in G Suite / Google Voice logs. 7. **Shift coverage** – Provide at least one overlapping hour of coverage with the European support team (UTC+1) to maintain 24 × 7 service for our international accounts. ### Tools you’ll be comfortable with - **Zendesk** – ticketing, macros, SLAs. - **Freshdesk** – legacy ticket handling. - **Salesforce** – CRM for account history. - **HubSpot** – marketing‑qualified leads and onboarding flows. - **Intercom** – live‑chat widget on our product site. - **G Suite** (Gmail, Drive, Docs) – internal communication and documentation. - **Slack** – rapid team chat, #support‑ops channel for real‑time alerts. - **Zoom** & **Microsoft Teams** – customer demos, internal stand‑ups. - **Trello** – Kanban board for daily ticket triage. - **Aircall** – cloud phone system with call‑recording analytics. - **Google Voice** – backup for outbound calls when Aircall is under maintenance. ### What you bring | Requirement | Why it matters | |-------------|----------------| | **2‑4 years** of experience in a B2B SaaS support environment | Gives you the context to speak the same language as our product managers and engineers. | | **Fluent written and spoken English** (accent neutral or clear) | Our client base is primarily North American; we need unambiguous communication. | | **Proficiency with Zendesk and Salesforce** | These are the backbone of our ticket routing and customer history. | | **Average handle time (AHT) ≤ 7 minutes** | Helps us keep the queue below 15 minutes on average. | | **CSAT ≥ 90 % in previous role** | Demonstrates a track record of delighting customers. | | **Comfort with remote work** – reliable Wi‑Fi (≥ 25 Mbps), a quiet workspace, and a headset with noise‑cancelling mic. | Our agents work from home 100 % of the time; reliability is non‑negotiable. | | **Empathy + problem‑solving mindset** | You’ll be the human bridge when automated answers fall short. | | **Basic data‑analysis** – familiarity with Excel/Google Sheets pivot tables | You’ll report on ticket trends and spot improvement opportunities. | **Nice‑to‑have**: Experience with Intercom, Aircall, or a background in retail technology. ### How we measure success - **First Response Time (FRT):** ≤ 2 hours for 95 % of tickets. - **First Contact Resolution (FCR):** ≥ 78 % – you close the loop without need for follow‑up. - **Customer Satisfaction (CSAT):** ≥ 92 % – a simple “thumbs up” after each interaction. - **Ticket Volume Management:** Process a minimum of 30 tickets per day, with a 5‑ticket buffer for escalations. - **Knowledge‑Base Contribution:** Minimum five new or updated articles per month, measured in Confluence. Your performance will be reviewed quarterly against these KPIs, and you’ll receive a performance‑based bonus (up to 12 % of base salary) if you meet or exceed the targets. ### A typical week (example) | Day | Focus | |-----|-------| | **Monday** | 9 am – 10 am: Team “win‑share” on Zoom (all remote). 10 am – 12 pm: Ticket triage (Zendesk). 1 pm – 3 pm: Live‑chat sprint (Intercom). 3 pm – 4 pm: Update knowledge base. | | **Tuesday** | 8 am – 9 am: Overlap with EU shift (Microsoft Teams). 9 am – 11 am: Conduct onboarding webinar (Zoom). 11 am – 12 pm: Review CSAT reports in Salesforce. 1 pm – 5 pm: Deep‑dive into high‑priority tickets. | | **Wednesday** | 9 am – 10 am: One‑on‑one with VP of Client Experience (Slack video). 10 am – 12 pm: Phone support via Aircall. 1 pm – 3 pm: Product‑feedback session with Engineering (Slack). 3 pm – 5 pm: Close out backlog, tag tickets for escalation. | | **Thursday** | 9 am – 11 am: Freshdesk migration sprint (legacy tickets). 11 am – 12 pm: Update HubSpot onboarding workflow. 1 pm – 3 pm: Peer‑review of knowledge articles. 3 pm – 5 pm: Customer follow‑up calls (Google Voice). | | **Friday** | 9 am – 12 pm: Ticket blitz – aim for 40 tickets resolved. 12 pm – 1 pm: Lunch‑and‑learn (optional) on data‑analysis. 1 pm – 3 pm: Prepare weekly metrics report (Excel). 3 pm – 4 pm: Team retrospective (Slack). 4 pm – 5 pm: Light‑hearted “customer‑story” sharing on Zoom. | ### What we offer (remote‑friendly) - **Base salary:** $45,000 – $55,000 USD, commensurate with experience. - **Performance bonus:** Up to 12 % of base, tied to the KPIs above. - **Health & wellness:** Medical, dental, vision coverage for you (and optional for dependents). - **Retirement:** 401(k) with 3 % company match. - **Paid time off:** 20 days PTO + 10 paid holidays (U.S. calendar). - **Learning budget:** $1,200 annually for courses, certifications (e.g., Customer Service Excellence, Zendesk Admin). - **Equipment stipend:** $250 for home‑office upgrades (monitor, ergonomic chair, headset). - **Team culture:** Quarterly “buddy‑day” where remote teammates meet in a café in Duluth, Minnesota for a coffee‑chat; annual retreat in a mountain lodge (optional). ### How to apply 1. **Submit** your résumé and a brief cover letter (max 300 words) through our Careers portal. 2. **Complete** the short “Customer Scenario” questionnaire – we want to see how you’d handle a common ticket about a failed data sync. 3. **Video interview** (30 min) with the hiring manager – expect a mix of behavioral questions and a live ticket‑resolution exercise in Zendesk. 4. **Final interview** with the VP of Client Experience – focus on culture fit, personal growth goals, and your “human moment” stories. We aim to move from application to offer within **10 business days**. If you have any questions, reach out to **[email protected]**; we’ll reply within 24 hours. --- ### A final word Remote work isn’t a buzzword for us; it’s how we’ve built a **global community of problem‑solvers**. If you live in Duluth, Minnesota and want a role where each interaction can shift a customer's day from “frustrated” to “grateful,” we’d love to hear from you. Join us, and help shape a service experience that’s as straightforward as a well‑written email and as rewarding as the smile you hear on the line. *We are an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability.* Apply tot his job