Student Advisor

Cengage · Columbus · $19–$22/hr (stated in the posting)

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We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

The Tier 2 Student Advisor is a customer service position dedicated to providing personalized, high-quality support. This is a solutions-driven frontline role responsible for resolving issues with empathy, precision & efficiency to delight our learners. Operating in a fast-paced, structured call center environment, this role handles a high volume of inbound and outbound contacts. You serve as the primary point of contact for customer requests through case management software, phone, & chat. The role requires you to multitask within various platforms and tools while delivering personalized, accurate, and comprehensive assistance.

We seek an enthusiastic, professional, Customer First individual who understands that our customers are at the heart of every decision, prioritizing their needs and satisfaction in every interaction. With a strong commitment to problem resolution, you will treat every customer with grace, own case resolution and de-escalate concerns with professionalism and care. Your compassion, communication skills, and technical agility will ensure every customer receives an exceptional experience.

What you'll do here:

Customer-First Interaction & Relationship Building

• Provide exceptional customer service by actively listening, empathizing, and responding to customers’ needs.
• Build rapport by communicating with warmth, clarity, and confidence in a way that feels authentic, personal, and caring.
• Maintain a calm, compassionate, and solutions-focused approach, even in challenging or escalated situations.

Case Management & Resolution

• Manage all assigned cases while meeting quality, efficiency, & accuracy expectations; aiming to shorten response times and minimize learner effort.
• Handle a high volume of inbound & outbound phone calls throughout the day.
• Maintain a 95% case closure & answer rate by managing cases across case management platforms, email, phone & chat.
• Research required information using available tools and systems, utilizing a variety of tools to navigate, research, and review solutions
• Accuracy & Completeness: Document all interactions thoroughly and accurately across multiple systems, following policies and procedures with precision.

End-to-End Ownership

• Take full ownership for both the outcome and the experience, ensuring every learner’s issue is fully resolved.
• Empower learners to focus on learning, not logistics; make it easy to get support with a streamlined experience, reduce customer effort, minimize handoffs, and coordinate next steps on behalf of the learner.
• Identify issues quickly, determine the underlying cause, and plan solutions that balance sound judgement, customer support, and business policies & procedures.
• Deliver solutions that are thoughtful, clear, and comprehensive solutions, helping customers move forward and minimize repeat contacts.

Customer Advocacy & De-escalation

• Advocate for customers by understanding their challenges, addressing concerns thoroughly, and guiding them through next steps.
• Maintain consistent professionalism and composure while helping students feel supported and heard.
• Demonstrate emotional intelligence, respect, and self-control using conflict-resolution techniques to de-escalate tense or emotionally charged situations.

Skills you will need here:

• Passion for Customer Support: Driven to exceed customer expectations by providing exceptional service and resolving customer issues effectively. Take satisfaction in providing assistance & resolving customer cases.
• Empathy: Seek to understand and validate customer emotions, responding with genuine care, compassion, & understanding.
• Relationship Building: Build rapport & foster connection leaving every customer feeling valued, supported and confident they are in capable hands.
• Emotional Intelligence: Exhibit emotional intelligence and self-control, maintaining composure and professionalism during high-stress situations.
• Communication: Demonstrate exceptional communication skills (written & verbal). Utilize enthusiasm, positive presence, & clarity in every interaction. Actively listen to fully understand customer concerns & requirements.
• Efficiency: Meet or exceed customer service metrics and performance goals while handling assigned cases and phone calls within a structured and fast-paced environment.
• Attention to detail: Handle numerous tasks across multiple applications and screens while ensuring accuracy and thoroughness.
• Technological proficiency: Proficient with computers; navigating multiple browsers, tabs, & tools simultaneously to answer questions quickly & optimally.
• Organization: Use time management to handle assigned tasks. Maintain a system to prioritize & track tasks, ensuring completion effectively and on time.
• Reliability: Consistently on time & present for scheduled shifts. Proactively communicate unexpected events or issues that affect attendance / performance.
• Adaptability: Ability to learn quickly & embrace change as part of progress, remaining flexible, focused and resilient, and adjusting your approach to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Experience and Logistics

• Experience: 1-2 Years Experience in Customer Service, with proven ability to work in a fast-paced student or customer-facing environment.
• Schedule: Availability to work from Monday to Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 5:00 pm EST/CST/PST.
• Remote Requirements: You will need a quiet, distraction-free workspace with reliable internet access.
• Ideal: Bilingual – Fluently Speak, Read, and Write in Spanish/English
• We encourage individuals with diverse service experiences to apply (examples include hospitality, restaurants, retail, collections, childcare and education).

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com.

About Cengage

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location.  Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

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