Company Description
At Lakeshore, we create innovative learning materials and world-class guest experiences for teachers, parents and children. Since 1954, we’ve grown into a global community—with a thriving e-commerce business, multiple catalogs, 60+ retail stores, a peerless national sales force, plus international offices that support our preeminent supply chain division. But today we’re working better, smarter and faster than ever—and setting our sights even higher. We’re building an infrastructure designed for scalability, embracing data-driven decision-making and using technology to improve efficiency and ensure the best tools for the best work. Most importantly, we continue to invest in a diverse team of inquisitive top talent who fuel each other’s passions and curiosity, take risks, try new things, and believe that every new day brings opportunities for growth.
Job Description
In search of a superhero—to move heaven and earth for the best customers around!
If you’re a friendly and professional “people person” with a passion for solving problems, a strong desire to help others and a talent for going above and beyond, our Customer Service Team would love to meet you! At Lakeshore, we do whatever it takes to support the amazing teachers and families we serve—which is why our Customer Service Representatives play such an important role. In this position, you’ll build relationships with some truly outstanding customers and wow them with your ability to dig into problems, bend over backward to find solutions and shine a light of kindness and patience along the way. (Think MacGyver, Simone Biles and Mister Rogers all rolled into one!) Whether you’re handling calls, responding to e-mails or communicating via chat and social media, you’ll be joining a first-class team that delivers a fantastic customer experience at every touch point.
A day at Lakeshore looks like this:
- Supporting customers with absolutely anything they need—from product questions and returns/exchanges to unusual situations and special requests
- Amazing customers with your refreshingly positive attitude and helpfulness
- Fielding inbound calls with a winning phone personality that is friendly, professional and down-to-earth
- Using strong and enthusiastic writing skills to communicate with customers via chat, e-mail and social media (hey—a few extra exclamation points are A-OK with us!)
- Building partnerships with customers and internal team members
- Developing knowledge of Lakeshore’s products and services to deepen your ability to offer effective solutions and exceptional customer support
Qualifications
Got the skills and experience? Here’s what we’re looking for:
- 2–3 years of customer service or retail experience
- Experience corresponding with customers through e-mail and social media
- Previous call center experience, “Live Chat” experience and/or familiarity with Salesforce.com a plus
- Positive, customer service-oriented mindset
- Professional verbal and written communication skills and strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to process a high volume of inbound calls daily
- A tenacious problem solver with exceptional follow-through who won’t give up until a solution is found
- Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel
- Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent organizational skills
Additional Information
And here’s our end of the bargain!
- Hourly: $20-$23 with an annual bonus of up to 10%
- Paid leave for new parents to support work/life balance and family bonding
- Excellent medical/dental and vision coverage—EPO, PPO and HSA
- 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution (because you will retire someday)
- Flexible benefits—choose what you like, ignore the rest
- On-site preschool for our employees’ children
- On-site employee gym for all levels/fitness needs
- Generous employee discount
- Casual dress…and we really mean it
At Lakeshore, we know our diversity makes us stronger, and when everyone feels included and valued, we all win. We strive to embrace our differences and create an intentionally diverse and inclusive community that is representative of the teachers, families and children we serve.
We know we couldn’t do the extraordinary things we’re doing without the people on our team. Thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of this spectacular group, Lakeshore is more than a great place to work—it’s a great experience to be part of. Day in and day out, we give everything we’ve got to create products that instill a sense of wonder and foster a true love of learning. To help maintain this high bar for success, we’re constantly on the lookout for people to join us. So if you’re a down-to-earth professional who shares our desire for making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.
To learn more about Lakeshore, visit www.lakeshorelearning.com/careers
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
People are selected to become members of the Lakeshore family based on skill, merit and mind-boggling talent—not based on race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, marital status, domestic partnership status, military status, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, alienage, AIDS or AIDS-related complex status, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, status as a victim of domestic violence, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. If things aren’t equal, we all lose.
To learn about how we collect and use Applicant information, please visit our Employee/Applicant Privacy Policy. INDRLL10
Top Skills
What We Do
Lakeshore Learning Materials is one of the most innovative manufacturers of educational materials in the country. Specializing in top-quality products for the home and classroom, we are a thriving multichannel organization with a robust web business, multiple catalogs for early learning and elementary programs, 60 store locations, plus a sales force that is second to none. Thanks to the daily contributions of the amazing people on our team, Lakeshore has experienced continuous growth since the day it was founded in 1954.
Although we’ve been serving teachers and parents for decades, we believe our best days are still to come—thanks to the hard work and dedication of our team. We are creative thinkers and problem solvers who continuously challenge ourselves to do our best work, roll up our sleeves to get the job done and persevere until we reach our goals. Over the last few decades, our people have helped us grow from a single retail store into an international business that continues to expand—moving us even closer to our goal of ensuring every teacher and student has access to the best learning materials possible. Because of our team’s passion and drive, Lakeshore is more than a great place to work—it’s a great experience to be part of. So if you’re a down-to-earth professional who shares our desire for making a difference in the world, we’d love to hear from you.
