Customer Service Associate

About the Role:

Are you passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences and solving problems with efficiency and care? As a Customer Service Associate, you will play a key role in processing subscription and book/journal orders, resolving customer queries, and ensuring satisfaction through timely, accurate support. This role offers the opportunity to work across functions, leverage your communication and problem-solving skills, and contribute to continuous improvement in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.

About our Team:

We are a customer-centric, globally connected team dedicated to delivering reliable and professional support to the academic community, ensuring seamless communication and access to essential resources. Our team is passionate about fostering strong relationships with customers, ensuring their inquiries are addressed efficiently and effectively. With a keen focus on service excellence, we continuously refine our approach to meet the evolving needs of the publishing industry. We are a diverse team, bringing together different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to provide well-rounded support. Our collaborative environment encourages fresh ideas and innovative solutions, ensuring we always deliver the best service possible. We believe in continuous improvement, constantly seeking ways to enhance our processes, refine communication strategies, and adapt to the changing landscape of publishing. By embracing growth and learning, we strengthen our ability to meet customer needs effectively

What Is Your Team’s Key Role in Business?

As the first point of contact for customers, we play a pivotal role in shaping their experience with our company. We ensure smooth communication between customers and internal teams, uphold service quality standards, and act as a trusted resource for information. Our work directly impacts customer loyalty, operational efficiency, and the company’s overall reputation. Beyond answering customer inquiries, we act as a trusted resource for information about our products, providing customers with accurate details on price and availability to assist in their purchasing decisions. Our team also ensures timely order processing, coordinating efficiently so that customers receive their purchases without delays or complications. By providing exceptional support in these key areas, we reinforce the company’s commitment to outstanding customer experience and operational excellence. Beyond day-to-day interactions, our team actively identifies trends and customer feedback to help inform business decisions. We proactively identify opportunities to enhance customer interactions, streamline processes, and improve service delivery.

What Other Departments Do You Closely Work With?

Our team works closely with multiple departments to ensure seamless operations and exceptional customer service. We liaise with:

• Finance – To verify payments received for order processing and to facilitate refunds to customers.
• Manufacturing – To track and manage the timely delivery of customer orders, including journals and books, ensuring products reach customers without delays.
• Editorial & Peer Review –Provide gratis order processing assistance to eligible
• IT – For managing our fulfillment systems, online platforms, and technical workflows.

The key qualities of this role are:

• Strong written & verbal communication
• Proficiency in MS Office
• A confident, proactive, organized, and detail-oriented approach
• Enjoys working in a customer-facing role and is passionate about contributing to the publishing industry
• Ability to manage multiple tasks under minimal supervision
• A collaborative team player who can support colleagues when needed
• Ability to adapt to and thrive in a constantly changing work environment
• Graduate/postgraduate with business experience, proven work experience, and transferable skills relevant to the role

The Customer Service Associate is responsible for providing excellent customer service including quickly and efficiently processing subscription and Book/Journal orders and claims and providing timely and accurate information to customer inquiries. The CSR is expected to process electronic orders and to be fully proficient in the mail batching processes.

Key Accountabilities

Describe in detail the responsibilities of the job

• Processing incoming Customer orders and queries effectively, efficiently, and accurately
• Handling phone calls
• Creating excellent Customer experience through active listening, application of appropriate operating procedures, adhering to SLA and appropriately escalating issues when needed
• Knowledge of all relevant business applications
• Any other operational customer service tasks assigned
• Implementation SAGE Lean principle
• Prepare daily productivity report of the work done
• Maintaining reports and Keeping manuals updated
• Support work in the other vertical too (cross functioning) during lean time

Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Functional Knowledge & skills

Adaptability

Effective written & verbal communication

Problem-Solving

Computer literacy including Excel skills and a working knowledge of Microsoft packages

Qualifications & Experience

Any bachelor’s degree

0-2 years of work experience

Sage Management Competencies

(Describe Management competencies relevant to the position)

Strategic Awareness Thinks strategically and globally about what needs to be done to achieve Sage’s vision.

Leading People Inspires people to achieve the highest level of confidence and competence.

Interpersonal Effectiveness Effectively engages with others by understanding their feelings and communicating this awareness empathetically.

Build positive relationships with customers and colleagues. Excel in active listening, empathy, and effective communication with customers (internal & external)

Results Orientation Is focused and passionate about delivering outstanding results.

Focus on achieving objectives, performance targets and maintain SLA. Resolve customer queries efficiently, and ensure customer satisfaction.

Demonstrates Personal Integrity Consistently demonstrates that one is responsible, reliable, and trustworthy.

Must act ethically and follow company policies

Business Judgment Is able to perform with insight, acuteness, and intelligence when analysing data, making decisions, and solving problems Inspiring/

Effective Communication Expresses oneself clearly and compellingly in all forms of communication and readily shares information

Strong written & verbal communication skills are essential. Actively listen & convey information clearly with customers (internal & external)

Accelerates Execution Shows tenacity to get things done in the most efficient and effective way.

Works Effectively with Others Is able to develop collaborative partnerships across the business.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams. Contribute to a cohesive work environment

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Sage we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that is representative of all sections of society and to sustaining a culture that celebrates difference, encourages authenticity, and creates a deep sense of belonging. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, disability, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief as creating value through diversity is what makes us strong.