Customer Service Specialist I - Newburyport, MA

Application Deadline: 30 September 2026

Department: Administration

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Newburyport, MA

Reporting To: Customer Service Manager

Compensation: $21.49 - $25.92 / hour

Description

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Serve as a customer-facing representative for Strem, an Ascensus Company, delivering a professional, responsive, and solutions-oriented experience across phone, email, and digital channels.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships by anticipating needs, resolving issues, communicating clearly, and escalating concerns appropriately to protect customer satisfaction and retention.
• Respond promptly to customer requests for catalogs, literature, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), Certificates of Analysis (CoA), and related documentation.
• Provide reception and general facility support as needed, including answering calls, greeting visitors, routing messages, and connecting guests with appropriate personnel.

• Receive, review, process, and confirm customer orders and quotes accurately within the enterprise operating system.
• Handle pricing inquiries, availability, order status, discrepancies, documentation requests, shipping coordination, and required follow-up.
• Prepare and maintain accurate order processing records and correspondence in accordance with corporate standards and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Operations, Quality, Shipping, and Finance to resolve inquiries, prevent shipping delays, and ensure a seamless end-to-end customer experience.

• Act as the Customer Service Salesforce superuser, driving CRM adoption, maintaining data quality, supporting reporting needs, and identifying automation opportunities.
• Utilize Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and internal business systems to document customer interactions, track open items, and optimize service performance.
• Identify recurring customer issues, workflow gaps, and inefficiencies; recommend and support continuous improvement initiatives to increase accuracy and operational quality.

• Remain personally accountable for following all Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) procedures to maintain a safe working environment for self and team members.
• Perform other related operational duties of similar complexity as assigned to support overall team effectiveness.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Educational & Experience: Highschool Diploma or equivalent required. Entry-level to 2 years of relevant experience in customer service, order management, or administrative support. 
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a proven ability to interface professionally across phone, email, and digital channels.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel) and a demonstrated ability to master enterprise business systems.
• Time Management & Accuracy: High attention to detail with the ability to prioritize tasks, follow through on commitments, and balance responsiveness with high data quality and order accuracy in a fast-paced environment.
• Problem-Solving & Collaboration: Strong analytical skills to investigate issues, identify root causes, and recommend practical solutions while working independently and cross-functionally across Sales, Operations, Quality, Shipping, and Finance.

• Customer-Centric Mindset: Passion for representing the brand positively and directly influencing customer satisfaction, trust, and retention.
• Commercial & Process Focus: Understanding of how service quality impacts business growth, combined with a continuous improvement mindset oriented toward workflow simplification and process automation.

• Salesforce Capabilities: Experience using Salesforce is strongly preferred; background acting as a Salesforce superuser, CRM champion, or advanced user leveraging reports and dashboards is highly desirable.
• Industry Background: Prior customer service experience in a scientific, chemical manufacturing, distribution, or regulated technical environment.

Benefits

• Hourly Wage Range: $21.49 – $25.92 per hour. (Starting rate determined by experience)
• Classification: Full-time, non-exempt (eligible for overtime compensation).
• Annual Bonus Incentive: Eligible to participate in the 2026 Ascensus Bonus Plan (ABP) at a 4% target of base annual earnings. Payouts are tied to corporate financial results and site-specific performance metrics (EHS, Quality, and Production). Bonus potential for new hires is prorated based on start date.

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage; Life and AD&D Insurance; and Short-Term/Long-Term Disability insurance.
• Retirement (401k): 100% company match on the first 3% of employee contributions, plus a 70% match on contributions between 4% and 6%.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Accrued and front-loaded time off benefits are available for use after 90 days of employment (prorated for the first calendar year based on start date):
• Vacation & Floating Holidays: Front-loaded annually on January 1 based on tenure brackets.
• Company Holidays: 9 paid holidays (8 hours each) plus 24 hours of floating holidays per calendar year.
• Sick Leave: Accrued in compliance with Massachusetts state regulations.