Reporting to the Director, Service and Quality, the Customer Service Associate provides administrative and customer service support.  This position will field requests and inquiries from University departments/units and vendors and will identify, interpret and research issues seeking resolution to ensure customer satisfaction in compliance with all applicable University processes and procedures.  The Associate will assist departments/units on proper completion of procurement and accounts payable transactions, procedures, and available self-service tools.  Service support also includes routing inquiries appropriately to Tier 2 according to defined business rules and procedures or contacting departments to gather and verify information.

This position is Hybrid, FT; 40 hours per week. 

• Provide phone, email, and online customer support to internal and external procurement, accounts payable, contracts, sourcing, and procurement technology.
  • Work closely with the UPST Leadership and process owners in driving their strategic improvement initiatives with regards to impact on end-users.
  • Work closely with the Director of Service and Quality and other team members to develop and implement customer engagement and satisfaction strategies
  • Research issues needing resolution and develop solutions that comply with all applicable UPST processes, procedures, and policies.
  • Recognize pre-determined triggers for escalation as well as the ability to search the knowledge base and provide clear directions based on defined solutions.
  • Escalate issues of a more complex nature to functional team members and process owners as needed.
  • Document all reported issues and proposed resolutions according to established standard operating procedures.
  • Develop and update specific departmental job aids, scripts, and processes as needed
  • Develop and maintain knowledge base from content acquired from frequent customer/ stakeholder interactions.
  • Attend required training to ensure the knowledge base of processes and procedures remains current and up-to-date.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with partner departments within UMass campuses and President’s Office to drive stronger relationship• Support project management activities for the Service and Quality Team
  • Participate in end-user training on proper purchasing, payments, contracting, sourcing, supplier management, and payroll processes and tool usage
  • Build competencies across the procurement platform to potentially be elevated into other roles that serve Operations, Training and Comms, Strategic Sourcing functions

• Associates degree in Business or a closely related field
• Minimum of 1-3 years of work experience in a customer service environment
• Demonstrated excellence in customer service skills
• Ability to handle multiple phone lines and multi-task effectively
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing in a clear, pleasant, and grammatically correct manner

• Knowledge of software such as Windows and Microsoft products: Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint or equivalent;
• Internet navigation skills and the proven ability to quickly learn new systems
• Typical office environment
• Must be able to travel occasionally to all UMass campuses and the Boston central office