Support Specialist
Tern Travel · United States
You aren't answering tickets or calls to just hit a metric, you are the frontline voice that directly shapes our product and user experience. The support team is the foundation that determines whether our users will succeed. You will help shape the future of support by rethinking and influencing how support should operate in the age of AI. If this sounds like you, we'd love to talk.
ABOUT TERN
Tern is a venture-backed software company on a mission to reshape the $127B travel agency industry by giving power back to the entrepreneurs who built it.
Nearly 98% of travel agencies are small businesses. These businesses have been chronically underserved by technology. We're here to change that. Our platform helps travel advisors run more efficient, professional, and profitable operations giving them the modern infrastructure they need to lead the next chapter of travel.
But the impact goes beyond business. Travel advisors help clients move more intentionally through the world. When a traveler works with an advisor, they're more likely to avoid overtouristed hotspots and more likely to spend their dollars in places where they can do real good. That's the kind of travel we want more of.
At Tern, we believe in small business. We believe in the power of travel. And we're building the future of both.
Support Specialist
The support team at Tern is the foundation that determines whether our advisors and agencies succeed on the platform. Most support orgs at this scale are still reacting and focusing support solely on the queue. More tickets, more headcount, repeat.
Tern is different. AI is embedded into almost every single workflow as a force multiplier for our human team and it's most critical on the support function. And, with AI supporting the majority of our customer service volume, our expert team of ICs can be deployed elsewhere where the human touch really matters.
If you’re looking to be at the forefront of our mission to empower travel advisors with innovative technology, making their work more efficient and their impact more significant, and equally help define what our support org will look like long term, this role is for you. You will provide top-tier support to our partners, troubleshoot technical issues, become an expert in our product and AI capabilities, and collaborate closely with our product and engineering teams.
Tern is moving to a 24/7 support model as our global user base grows. This role could include shifts outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends. We'll share specific schedule expectations during the interview process.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
Customer Support: Be a champion for our customers, representing their needs within Tern and ensuring their voices are heard by providing prompt, professional, and effective support to travel advisors, resolving issues and ensuring their success with Tern's solutions primarily through chat, phone, email, and 1:1's.
Technical Troubleshooting: Identify, diagnose, and resolve technical problems, providing expert guidance and clear communication
Product Mastery: You are quick to learn and navigate complex technology platforms, and you enjoy staying ahead of the curve. You'll become a Tern product expert, using your knowledge to assist customers and provide valuable feedback to our internal teams.
Knowledge Sharing: Create and maintain clear, comprehensive support documentation to help users find answers quickly
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with product and engineering to surface relevant feedback on our offerings and ensure customer feedback is incorporated into our roadmap
Continuous Improvement with AI: Build and deploy ways to enhance our support processes and overall customer experience to be improved, using AI and automation tooling to improve your personal productivity as well as the team’s
WHAT YOU HAVE
Customer-obsession: You genuinely care about making life easier for our users and are committed to learning about our users, product, and team in depth to make that possible. You'll be the frontline voice of our customers- your problem solving and insights will directly influence product development and customer retention
Customer phone calls: You're experienced taking customer phone calls in high-pressure/time-sensitive situations, know how to de-escalate, can multitask to find information
Previous travel industry experience: Whether you've worked for an online travel agency, have been or are a travel advisor
Technical curiosity and strong communication: While you don't need to be an engineer, familiarity with APIs, AI, and automation tools is a big plus. Even if you don’t know how to use each of these resources, you’re willing and eager to dig in. You can translate technical concepts into easy-to-understand language for non-technical users.
User-facing enablement: You’re just as comfortable in the queue as you are creating a walk through video or hosting a live 1-1 training to close the ticket. You deploy the right lever for the right problems to resolve issues quickly and effectively.
A fast learner: You pick up new tools, concepts, and workflows quickly, and you thrive in fast-moving, high-energy environments. You know how to approach becoming an expert in our product quickly, understanding both the technical and strategic ways advisors use it.
Startup mindset: You're scrappy, adaptable, and ready to figure things out. You thrive on solving problems and are known for your attention to detail. You are comfortable in a fast-paced environment and can easily shift priorities as needed.
NICE-TO-HAVE
Travel enthusiast: A love for travel is a plus; understanding the travel industry helps you connect with our customers on a deeper level. Having professional experience in the industry is a huge plus.
Proficiency in support automations: You have the reps and excitement to build smarter workflows, leverage AI, and create self-service solutions to make support faster and more efficient
Experience in SaaS support: Prior customer support experience is preferred, but we care more about raw talent and drive than years of experience.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING AT TERN
Growth potential: Our team has an outsized impact at a quickly scaling company. This is your chance to get in early, grow fast, and learn.
Travel perks: Get the chance to attend conferences and meet our users in amazing destinations (like our user conference we recently had in Bermuda on Virgin Voyages)
Fully remote: Work from anywhere, with a team that moves fast and supports each other
Work with the best: Join a team of top-tier engineers, designers, and operators building the future of travel tech
Make an impact: Your work will directly shape the experience of thousands of travel advisors and their clients
Be a part of the hustle: Expect to wear multiple hats, learn quickly, and embrace the fast-paced nature of startup life
BONUS POINTS
Experience providing technical or phone support for SaaS applications, preferably experience with Tern
Experience in the travel industry
Experience with Tern's primary tools: Intercom, Notion, Slack
Experience utilizing AI
WHAT WE VALUE @ TERN
🌱 We're always leveling up. Whether you're deepening your craft, learning from a teammate, or embracing a new challenge, growth is core to our identity.
🧭 We act with optimistic agency. We take initiative, seek clarity, and move forward, even when the path isn't obvious. Through every peak and valley, we lead with curiosity, laughter, kindness, and resolve.
💪 We expect operational excellence. We ship value to our users every single week. We believe that compounding habits lead to sustainable productivity, consistency, and mutual trust.
Operating Principles:
👂 We deeply understand our users. At every level of the organization, we obsess about understanding those we serve and the industry we operate in.
➕ We embrace the power of and, and not now. We challenge trade-offs by asking better questions. We break hard problems into small pieces and tackle them with intention. We also know to make the hard call to say "not right now".
📣 We speak up and move forward. Everyone at Tern has a voice and a responsibility to use it. We invite healthy tension, share dissenting views early, and challenge each other with curiosity, not ego.
🏃♀️➡️ We move fast and sweat the details. Velocity matters and relentless progress beats perfection every time. But speed isn't chaos: we stay aligned, own our outcomes, and care deeply about quality.
🤣 We take the work seriously, but not ourselves. We hire kind, driven people who elevate the room. If you've got a big ego or take yourself too seriously, you won't last.
WHY JOIN TERN?
Be part of a mission-driven team transforming the travel planning space
Work with a supportive, curious, and creative team
Influence and shape our user success strategy from the ground up
Competitive salary, equity, and benefits package
Tern is committed to building a team that represents people from many different backgrounds and life experiences, reflecting our worldview coinciding with the users and customers we serve across the world. We prefer that you apply, so think of our postings as the start of the conversation. Take the chance — you may be a wonderful add to our Tern team, even if you don't fully match every requirement on the job description.