Solutions Specialist

The Service Point is the centerpiece of an overall strategy to create a valuable customer service experience for University students, faculty, and staff. The Service Point is the gateway for TigerCard, Parking and Transportation, Package and Mail, Campus Dining, Housing and Real Estate Services, and student and classroom print operations. With the goal of ensuring a consistent, accurate, and timely delivery of information and services, the Service Point team works across campus departments to complement the customer-facing systems, services, and resources available.

The Solutions Specialist is a mid-level, cross-functional team member of the Service Point, responsible for resolving matters related, but not limited, to Transportation, TigerCard, Dining, Housing, and student and classroom print operations. It is expected that the Service Point will expand its service options, requiring additional engagement with service partners.

While this position is primarily concerned with attending to case management and more complex issue resolution, the Solutions Specialist backs up the Service Coordinator team, whenever necessary, as the extremely knowledgeable and talented first point of contact for all customers of the Service Point, which includes students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, contractors, and visitors. The Solutions Specialist will also assist with training and developing new Service Coordinators.

The Solutions Specialist must be a technically proficient, exhaustive and detail-oriented case manager, driven to find sustainable solutions to a variety of customer issues. The Solutions Specialist manages, and works to improve, a complicated network of systems and processes that flow between various University Services departments and through external departments such as Human Resources, Facilities, Public Safety, and academic departments. Though a general understanding of a broad range of University issues and processes is required, the Solutions Specialist is expected to become an expert in specific content areas to more quickly resolve escalated customer issues. These topic areas include, but are not limited, to Transportation, Package and Mail, TigerCard, Dining, and Housing, and student and classroom print operations.

Using clear and professional oral and written communication skills, and by working as a strong partner with colleagues across University Services, the Solutions Specialist is responsible for making every Service Point client feel that their issue is being thoroughly and considerately addressed in a timely fashion. This may involve outreach and meetings with external departments or doing extensive research to get to the bottom of an issue. The Solutions Specialist will use sound judgement when escalating issues, engaging regularly with the Assistant Director, Customer Service and the Customer Service Operations Manager to smoothly hand off unusually complex or longer-term customer issues to the appropriate department. Just as flows between systems are critical to the customer experience, the Solutions Specialist works with the Service Coordinator team to ensure issue and customer handoffs are seamless and, when necessary, clearly communicated to customers.

The Solutions Specialist must be extremely comfortable working in a complex and highly technical work environment to handle more complex customer issues that have been escalated from the Service Coordinator team or from other departments outside of the Service Point. During major University events, such as Move-In, Reunions, Commencement, and Opening Exercises, the Solutions Specialist team may provide additional levels of support.

A cover letter is required for full consideration.  A full job description will be furnished prior to interview.  

Case Management, Escalation, and Resolution

• Serves as primary, operational connection with specific departments to ensure appropriate processes and policies are working smoothly between Service Point and service delivery units of Transportation and Parking, Package and Mail, TigerCard, Dining, Housing, and student and classroom print operations.
• Handles lengthier and more complex customer and technical issues that have been escalated from Service Coordinator team or rerouted from other departments outside of the Service Point.
• Manages workflow and troubleshooting for issues related to ServiceNow and SN@P, elevating and assigning customer issues to specific University Services departments as needed.
• Arranges for appointments with responsible departments when consultation with staff outside of the Service Point is required for a customer issue.
• Establishes relationships and ongoing interaction with students, customers, stakeholders, and University partners to coordinate responses to the unique issues within specific content areas of responsibility that flow through or otherwise involve the Service Point.
• Uses discretion to determine which issues are regarded as highly sensitive or priority, and route cases to the appropriate administrator for immediate attention.

System and Database Management

• Manages multiple databases, including NuPark, Atrium, StarRez, PeopleSoft, and others.
• Responsible for daily oversight of systems related to the service department databases that are part of the department’s portfolio.
• Works with Service Coordinators to build and maintain knowledge articles and standard operating procedures.

Customer Engagement

• When required, backs up Service Coordinators to serve as the first point of contact for customers arriving at the Service Point, ensuring every interaction is engaging and friendly, and that customer issues are addressed quickly and expediently in order of priority and resolves problems.

Other duties as assigned

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree or three to five years of experience in a customer service role, or combination of customer service experience, relevant education, training and/or related experience.
• Excellent and demonstrable customer service skills and experience.
• Ability to initiate work proactively, act independently, anticipate needs, and use data to make sound decisions to resolve complex logistical or procedural problems.
• Ability to balance demands of day-to-day operations while serving as a collaborative team member.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain appropriate confidentiality for customer and staff issues.
• Strong interpersonal skills with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office computer applications including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, and other computer applications.
• Excellent and demonstrable project communication and customer service skills and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate work proactively, act independently, anticipate needs, and use data to make sound decisions to resolve complex logistical or procedural problems.
• Knowledge of project coordination.

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience with database management, dashboards for reporting, and project coordination.
• Experience with higher education dining, parking, housing, campus card technology platforms and vendors, or student and classroom print operations.
• Experience working in a University Services department.

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Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.