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 aRemote 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 nowOur 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). ### 1. Submit your résumé and a brief cover letter (max 300 words) through ourCareers 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 wordRemote 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