Customer Service Specialist I - Newburyport, MA

Job Description

Job Description

Description

Strem Chemicals, an Ascensus Company, is seeking a Customer Service Specialist I for our Newburyport, MA site. Serving as a critical front-line representative, this role often provides clients with their first direct interaction with the business. The Customer Service Specialist I is responsible for delivering a responsive, accurate, and customer-centric experience across order management, general inquiries, documentation requests, and issue resolution.

By building trusted relationships, leveraging systems and data effectively, and identifying opportunities to enhance workflows, this position directly drives customer satisfaction, retention, and operational excellence while upholding the legacy of the Strem brand.

Customer Experience & Account Management

• 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.

Order Management & Operational Execution

• 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.

Systems Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• 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.

Core Responsibilities & Compliance

• 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.

• 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.

Critical Core Competencies:

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 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.

Ascensus Specialties offers a competitive compensation and total rewards package. In compliance with Massachusetts pay transparency requirements, the compensation structure for this position includes:

• 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.

Comprehensive Benefits Package: Health and wellness benefits begin on Day 1 of employment.

• 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.

Additional Perks: Employee Assistance Program (EAP) available immediately upon hire to support overall personal and professional well-being.