Student Success Advisor at 2U

What We’re Looking For:

Our Success Advisors are passionate about helping our students succeed and are the front line custodians of tier-one university partner brands and 2U’s brand. Success Advisors are responsible for providing world-class, personalised course support solutions to students on a portfolio of online short courses, building a one-to-one meaningful relationship, with a primary focus on exceptional customer experience and retention. 

Our Student Success Advisors work Monday to Friday, occasional weekends, and rotationally on public holidays. Our working hours are mostly defined by where our university partners are located (ZA, UK, US) and cover a 24 hour period. Success Advisors allocated to a university partner determines their hours. Success Advisors not allocated to a university partner are shifted 24/7. Flexibility in work hours is required as shifts may start and end outside of normal business hours.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

• Provide fast, effective support and personalised communication to student queries via various communication channels.
• Utilize an in-depth understanding of the technical functions of the Online Campus to guide a student in navigating the course and, where necessary, have basic knowledge on how to troubleshoot technical problems.
• Provide an assessment of critical situations and determine when escalation is required to internal teams via pre-defined channels and follow up to ensure resolution within Service Level Agreement.
• Ensure Fast, Friendly, Accurate, Professional, Comprehensive delivery of service for a world-class customer experience.

Course Delivery 

• Employ creative thinking and problem solving techniques to provide finance-related, student records and certification related support.
• Self-manage workload through the use of data and metrics to drive efficiency in order to meet defined KPIs and participate in regular qualitative coaching and development feedback.
• Remain up-to-date on departmental processes and resolution procedures through ongoing training and development.
• Empowered to be adaptable in every situation and to empower others

Retention Recovery

• Successfully retain students by understanding their needs and be knowledgeable on effective strategies to deploy in various scenarios.
• Make recommendations and decisions on when to apply; extension, suspension, deferral, and cancellation requests and the creation of remediation and support plans in collaboration with associated Tutor teams.

Things That Should Be In Your Background:

• Tertiary qualification preferred OR a minimum of 2 years experience in Customer service  (Edtech industry is preferred)
• 2+ years of experience in a metrics-driven environment
• A proven track record of achieving measurable results in a fast-paced, deadline-driven department
• Excellent command of the English language, verbal and written communication skills and demonstrated proficiency in telephonic engagement
• Demonstrated passion for customer service in the interests of the business and customer
• Excellent interpersonal skills, consistently amicable and responsive in dealing with all people, both externally and internally;
• Ability to simply convey concepts, principles and procedures via multiple channels such as email, phone and chat;
• Understanding of technical and business process at a high level;
• Minimum technical proficiency in working on different systems (telephone, email, and remote login support). Exposure to Salesforce is advantageous (Training will be provided.)
• Questioning, taking ownership of and simplifying the tasks to achieve business outcomes.

Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role:

• 2U is a fast-paced, high-pressured environment and you will be expected to self-direct to achieve the accountabilities associated with your role.
• Being truly customer-centric starts with the recognition that a business exists to serve its customers. Without them, our business doesn’t exist. This requires a unique mix of servant leadership and empathy as we work to understand customers who each have a unique background and context.
• Success Managers are the front-line custodians for the best universities in the world. Students have a higher expectation of service because of this important signifier. This offers greater exposure for Success Managers as you co-brand with a tier-one portfolio of courses, and it simultaneously requires a greater focus on quality.
• As 2U’s portfolio is internationally based, you may be required to work outside of normal South African working hours (8 AM - 5 PM SAST), a reliable form of transport is necessary.
• A focus on self-development is critical to achieving success in this role. You will need to be invested in growth and look to jointly share and contribute to a feedback rich culture.
• We don’t micromanage. So, you have to diagnose problems and brainstorm solutions independently.
• 2U is scaling up, which means that things change fairly regularly. You will need to thrive in an evolving environment and grapple with new changes as we continuously look to optimise our business model and product.