Retail Operations & Customer Experience Associate

Studs is a category-defining ear piercing and earring brand named one of “the 10 most innovative companies in retail for 2023” by Fast Company. Studs connects ear piercing with aftercare and earring shopping to create an end-to-end Earscaping® experience. We offer a better retail and digital experience that prioritizes safety and expertise in a cool, fun and welcoming environment, along with a wide earring assortment—all at an accessible price point.

Based in New York City, the Part-Time Retail Operations and Customer Experience Associate will report to the Associate Manager of Customer Experience and will oversee customer and field team communication and escalations. You will be responsible for delivering an exceptional customer support experience to our customers, execution of real-time retail field team assistance, acting as a point of contact for all in the moment escalations. This role will collaborate closely with the retail field teams and our corporate team.

Salary Range: $24 per Hour

Location: Initial 2-week training will take place in our NYC HQ office, then Remote

Key Responsibilities:

Retail Field Support

• Supports Studs Studios by communicating directly with Retail teams to resolve issues that arise in Studios, both in the moment and retroactively via email.
• Acts as a liaison between the Retail field team and customers on day-to-day operations, including but not limited to appointment scheduling, appointment modifications, point-of-sale assistance, and customer follow-up.
• Supports Studio teams by resolving frequently asked questions and operational challenges in partnership with field managers and cross-functional teams.
• Partners directly with Studio teams and customers to execute service recovery when necessary, ensuring a consistent and high-quality customer experience.
• Supports new Studio openings by coordinating customer experience readiness, including maintaining accurate store information across customer-facing platforms and preparing customer communications

Customer Satisfaction & Service Recovery

• Delivers exceptional customer service by resolving inquiries and issues across email, text, and social channels using relevant systems and tools.
• Meets or exceeds all service level agreements (SLAs) as defined by Retail Leadership.
• Acts as a liaison to support ecommerce-related customer requests in partnership with fulfillment and warehouse teams.
• Responds to customer feedback, including Google and Yelp reviews, as needed.
• Utilizes Zendesk, Shopify, and other customer-facing platforms to efficiently investigate, resolve, and document customer inquiries.

Escalation, Reporting & Insights 

• Uses appropriate escalation paths when necessary and partners with internal stakeholders to drive timely resolution.
• Supports customer experience reporting by maintaining data accuracy, identifying trends, and surfacing actionable insights from customer interactions and Retail field feedback.
• Assists with recurring CX reporting and operational analysis to help inform business decisions and improve the customer journey.
• Provides insights from one-on-one customer communication and Retail field feedback to identify opportunities for process improvements, training, and service enhancements.

Escalation, Reporting & Insights

Requirements:

• 2+ years of experience in customer experience, customer service, retail operations, or a related field.
• Must be available to work Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays each week.
• Expected to work approximately 18 hours per week, with flexibility to take on additional shifts up to 29 hours per week as needed.
• Exceptional communication skills and writing proficiency, with the ability to create customer-facing communications and update internal resources.
• Comfortable working in Zendesk, Shopify, and appointment scheduling platforms; ability to quickly learn new systems and tools.
• Experience interpreting customer service metrics and reporting is a plus.
• Salon, beauty, wellness, or personal services experience is a plus.
• Driven, creative problem solver who consistently acts with integrity and is comfortable speaking up and identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Owner's mindset, with the ability to approach feedback, ambiguity, and challenges with a positive, solutions-oriented attitude.

Benefits & Perks

• Paid Safe & Sick Leave Accrual
• FSA Health and Commuter Tax-Advantaged Accounts
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Exclusive Employee Discounts on Piercings and Jewelry (we’ve got your friends and family covered too!)