Bilingual Customer Service Specialist in Cleveland, Ohio at Youth Opportunities Unlimited

Since 1982, over 160,000 youth have been helped with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) programs. Y.O.U. helps teens and young adults, ages 14-24 living in economically distressed communities succeed by providing educational and workforce opportunities, skills development, and access to career pathways. We offer school-based and community-based programs designed to meet the needs of Northeast Ohio employers, with a focus on those industry sectors that provide the most opportunities for career success. At Y.O.U., we are dedicated to excellence and continuous improvement of the quality of our services to youth, employers, and the community.

Job Purpose

The bilingual Customer Service Specialist provides timely, professional customer service in English and Spanish in response to inquiries about Y.O.U. programs. Inquiries are received by telephone and email from participants, families, prospective participants, Y.O.U. staff, and community stakeholders.

Essential Functions:

• Manage large volumes of inbound and outbound calls in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintain consistent and excellent customer service delivery.
• Identify client needs, clarify information, research issues, and provide solutions and/or alternatives.
• Resolve client inquiries professionally and diplomatically. Escalate issues to Customer Service Supervisor when necessary.
• Answer phone calls and respond to voicemails and emails in English and Spanish.
• Accurately document customer interactions in Y.O.U.’s Salesforce database.
• Work across departments to translate written documents between English and Spanish.
• Provide interpretation support for Spanish-speaking families during intake or other meetings, including virtual meetings when requested.
• Provide detailed, accurate, and timely communication to program staff to aid in issue resolution and assist with program priorities.
• Assist with training and support of seasonal Customer Service Specialists.
• Attend and participate in staff meetings as scheduled and required.
• Submit reports and paperwork in a timely fashion and as directed by Supervisor or Program Manager.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision benefits available with coverage beginning the first of the month following date of hire.
• Company paid life insurance, AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Parental Leave, Employee Assistance Program and Long-Term Disability
• Retirement Plan with generous employer contributions
• Generous paid time off package including 17 paid holidays
• Professional Development Assistance Program

Education

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.

Requirements

• Must have at least 2 years of experience in a high-volume customer service environment.
• Must pass a background BCI/FBI check as a condition of employment.
• Bilingual. Must be fluent in English and Spanish, both verbally and in written communication
• Must have experience with databases, spreadsheets, and word processing.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Belief and commitment to Y.O.U.’s mission, vision, and values.
• Proven ability to handle crisis situations with diplomacy and maintain emotional control under stress.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs, Outlook email, Google drive applications, and spreadsheets.
• Possess active listening skills, analysis skills, and stress management skills.
• Highly detail-oriented and data-efficient.
• Comfortable using technology and adapting to new technology.
• Ability to work independently and with teams with minimal supervision.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once.
• Enthusiastic, adaptable, patient, and diplomatic.
• Possess a positive and solution-oriented attitude.
• Proven organizational skills.
• Social interaction with clients and team members is required frequently.

Work Environment

• This position is primarily based in-office.
• If remote work is authorized, the employee must have a workspace free of distractions and background noise (Pets, children, television, radio, etc.)
• Social interaction with team members, vendors, partners and/or participants frequently.
• The work pace for this position is sometimes fast paced where work is required for up to 2 hours at a time.
• This position requires such physical abilities as sitting at a computer and doing phone work for long periods of time.

All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, parental status, veteran status, military service, family medical history, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.