Remote Support & Operations Specialist [CLOSED]

Minaal designs, manufactures, and sells travel gear to folks all around the world directly from our website. The core responsibility of the Support & Operations Specialist role is to help Minaal users who purchase their products via e-commerce.

The Support & Operations Specialist helps buyers throughout the sale, shipping, and post-purchase experience. This is done via our support software stack which includes a ticketing email system, live chat, and Shopify for order management. All communication with users and our shipping warehouses in the US and Hong Kong is done via email and chat. This role starts as a part-time position with the possibility of being full-time in the future. The starting hourly rate will depend on experience and apart from some specific order processing deadlines, as long as you have a good internet connection you can choose where and when you work!

Minaal was one of the first travel bag companies to arrive on Kickstarter. With a range of top-of-the-line travel and everyday bags, our reputation as a high-quality brand for people who care about bags is supported by the nearly 5,000 members in our online community and positive reviews on our website, from professional reviewers, and online communities like Reddit.

Our design approach, obsessive attention to detail, and relationships with global suppliers and manufacturers have positioned us as the go-to brand for worldwide travelers who demand the best in product quality and service (that’s you!).

After starting out in New Zealand, we’re now a small team spread across the globe. These timezone differences mean we’re flexible on working hours and a job well done is much more important than what time of day it gets done. Since we all work remotely, most of our culture is centered around the conversation in Slack and on occasional calls. Our team is made up of people who take initiative and thrive in a work environment where there’s a high degree of individual responsibility.

We’re hiring for a Support & Operations Specialist so that we can keep up with the growing number of users who have invested in a Minaal product. We expect 2021 to be a year of growth as the travel industry rebounds from a difficult 2020. We aim to only hire for roles that have growth opportunities in terms of pay and responsibilities and the Support & Operations Specialist role is no exception.

We’re hiring a Support & Operations Specialist because we need another talented team member to help maintain a world-class experience for our users.

We take to support and logistics as seriously as our product design. We exist only because of our community of users and we do everything in our power to make their experience with us a super positive one. The ideal candidate will be someone who is passionate about making every user interaction special.

We always aim to go above and beyond customer expectations. For example, if they need bag repairs, we don’t just tell them we’ll cover the cost – we also research and send them details of a highly-rated repair shop near their house, to make their lives easier.

Often, you’ll be working directly with the founders of the company. You’ll be given all the information and tools you need to succeed – but then it’s up to you to take ownership of the role.

The day to day responsibilities will be primarily focused on order processing and user communications. Order processing is done via Shopify, which powers our online store. When a user places an order through the store, it creates a task in Shopify to review and approve the order or to make any necessary modifications.

From there, another core task will be communicating with our warehouse teams in Hong Kong and the USA and using their online portals to manage our shipments. A crucial part of the business is to ensure that orders ship correctly, on-time. You’ll be an important part of creating and maintaining an exceptional and consistent user experience.

User communications mostly come through Helpscout, a popular support “ticketing” system. Each day, you’ll be communicating with users who have questions about the products, shipping, features, etc. You’ll also manage the support communication with users in our online community, as well as social media channels.

Finally, you’ll collect insights about our operations and our users – both anecdotal and with data – and deliver regular reports to the team, along with recommendations for how to improve the user experience.

You’ll do all of this (and more!) with the support of a great team that is just a message away via Slack.

The ideal candidate is obsessed with creating a special experience for Minaal users. This requires a strong initiative and a genuine interest in helping people. This is a common theme on the Minaal team. We’re interested in forming strong connections with each other and with our amazing community while providing an unforgettable product.

Fluency in English is a requirement for this role as the majority of communication will be in written English (since we sell worldwide, any other language skills are welcome too!).

You’ll be using a bunch of software, so strong proficiency or ability to learn modern software tools is essential. For example, any experience in the following will help your application:

• Shopify
• Helpscout
• Slack
• Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Mail, etc)
• Microsoft Office

Prior experience in customer support (or similar) is required, and prior experience in eCommerce is preferred.

Please note you will work as an independent contractor and will need to take care of your own local taxes, etc. This can be discussed further during the interview process if needed.