Customer Service Associate

Description Want to be part of a team that will embrace and encourage your motorsports obsession? Are you looking for a long-term career in customer service? Do you want to work for a company that cares about getting things right for our customers, not just churning through tickets? If this sounds like you, keep reading because Apex is looking for a Customer Service Specialist to join our team. Who are we? Apex Wheels creates Real Performance wheels for drivers everywhere. That means designing and manufacturing wheels that don’t just look the part, but truly improve performance in a measurable way. Born on the track and raised in California, Apex was founded in 2007 as a passion project by diehard motorsport enthusiasts and has produced function-first, race-proven wheels ever since. Now boasting a team of 40+ staff members, all Apex products are designed by an in-house team of engineers who are just as passionate about motorsports as you. Objective The Customer Service Representative delivers exceptional front-line support to Apex Wheels customers, ensuring every inquiry and order is handled accurately, efficiently, and with enthusiasm. This role focuses on mastering core systems and processes, providing timely solutions, and embodying Apex’s commitment to performance and precision in every customer interaction. How to apply In the space provided for your cover letter, tell us about your connection to automotive or motorsports culture. If you’re not an enthusiast, tell us what you are passionate about outside of your work. Job Summary As a Customer Service Representative at Apex Wheels, you’ll be the human connection between passionate enthusiasts and the performance products they trust. This is not a call center job defined by rigid scripts. It’s about solving real problems, anticipating customer needs, and crafting experiences that make Apex customers lifelong fans. You’ll join a small, tight-knit Customer Experience team that’s in a phase of strong growth and process refinement. Our systems and workflows are well-established but still evolving, meaning your feedback and initiative will directly influence how we scale. This position will partner daily with our Fitment, Fulfillment, and Production teams to ensure every order ships right, on time, and with the attention to detail that defines our brand. You’ll also collaborate cross-functionally to flag recurring pain points, shape better tools, and strengthen the bridge between our customers and our internal teams. This job can work from your home in any contiguous US state - we’ll give preference to candidates in states where we already have an established workforce. Work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM - 5 PM Pacific time. This schedule is not flexible or negotiable, as those are the core hours we are available to our customers. Your biggest challenge won’t be learning our systems. It’ll be mastering the balance between speed, accuracy, and empathy. You’ll need to proactively manage a high volume of customer interactions while spotting opportunities to prevent issues before they start. In doing so, you’ll help turn reactive service moments into proactive experiences that build trust. Success in this role will be measured first by your ability to deliver timely, accurate, and friendly resolutions. Short-term wins include mastering Apex’s systems, achieving high customer satisfaction scores, and meeting key performance metrics. Long-term success means becoming a go-to problem solver and trusted customer advocate who helps to inform Apex’s next-generation service model. If you are already feeling stuck in Customer Service or want to be behind the scenes, this isn’t a good fit. This is a highly interactive, customer-facing role and is ideal for someone who is energized by regular phone-based communication and relationship-building. If you enjoy talking shop with customers, we encourage you to apply. While much of your work happens through digital channels, you’ll spend your days connecting with customers and teammates across departments, not quietly processing tickets in isolation. If you love diving into details, take pride in delivering a five-star experience, and want your work to tangibly improve both the customer journey and internal processes, you’ll thrive here. Key Outcomes Success in this role means consistently achieving key outcomes, which include the following: Consistently respond to customer tickets within 24 hours of receipt. Fully resolve customer tickets within 42 hours of their first contact. Maintain a high level of productivity such that you answer 95% or more of the calls that come to you. Consistently score 95% or higher on Customer Satisfaction Surveys related to the service you provided. Responsibilities Deliver a best-in-class customer service through inbound and outbound phone, email, and other methods by representing Apex Wheels with professionalism and enthusiasm. Use the Raving Fans philosophies to inform your approach and decision-making. Assist customers with placing new orders, updating existing ones, and resolving any order-related questions or issues. Process returns, exchanges, warranties, and refunds efficiently while ensuring a smooth, customer-first experience. Support the resolution of fulfillment issues through customer outreach. Provide timely and transparent updates on order status, backorders, and shipments to keep customers fully informed. Achieve or exceed key performance indicators or performance metrics. Act as the voice of the customer, identify recurring issues, document and report findings, and recommend solutions that improve the customer journey. Develop and maintain self-service resources such as help articles and guides to empower customers post-purchase. Become an expert in Apex’s systems, including CRM and order management platforms, navigating multiple tools to resolve inquiries quickly and accurately. File, track, and report on claims with shipping carriers related to lost or damaged packages. Collaborate closely with the Fitment, Fulfillment, and Production teams to ensure seamless communication and issue resolution. Uphold Apex’s brand standards in every interaction, delivering clear, empathetic, and knowledgeable support that reflects our commitment to performance and precision. Other duties as assigned. Requirements High school Diploma or equivalent. 1+ years of experience providing excellent customer service via phone, email, and other communication methods. Experience using modern computer processing solutions like Google Suite, MS Office. Experience with MacOS is preferred. Experience with a telephony system is preferred (RingCentral). Experience with ERP systems is a plus (Netsuite). Experience using ticketing systems is a plus (Zendesk). Ability to communicate verbally and in writing, tailoring the message appropriately for the audience and outcome, including matching Apex’s brand voice. Ability to task-switch frequently and accommodate quickly changing priorities. Ability to remain focused and motivated while working remotely. An intermediate understanding of the motorsports world and Apex products, including an account of technical concepts related to fitments, car set-ups, and car modifications. Benefits $19.25 - $25.50 hourly, depending on location and experience, plus eligibility to participate in our short-term incentive plan/bonus plan after 90 days of employment. Anticipated start date is mid to end of September 2026. Work from home support with $450 annual stipend for cell phone and internet usage, all technology needs provided by Apex, plus workspace equipment reimbursements. Robust health benefits that include medical insurance covering 100% of monthly premiums for employees and their dependents under the age of 14 on our base plans, and generous contributions towards premiums for dependents over 14. We have a wide variety of other medical plans, so you can contribute to a more robust plan that better suits your needs. Get access to an HSA, mental health support, gym membership discounts, and a healthcare concierge! Apex covers 100% of employee premiums for Dental and Vision benefits on our base plans, plus affordable buy-up options if you need orthodontic coverage. Retirement savings eligibility to participate in our 401(k) with company contributions. Paid time off to recharge and do what fuels you through paid sick leave, vacation time, and paid company holidays, including Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Motorsports lifestyle reimbursement benefits to get you involved in the community as deeply as you’d like. Think reimbursements for high-performance driving events (HPDEs), track day insurance, event spectator tickets, karting and karting school, sim racing gear, SCCA-compliant gear, and premium events like DirtFish and SkipBarber. Plus, huge employee discounts on our products and free merch! Eligibility for college grants and loan forgiveness programs through SEMA by way of your employment with Apex. A modern professional work environment supported through remote work, almost anywhere in the contiguous U.S., and casual in-office dress (t-shirts and jeans are the norm). Department-led in-person events often include sim-racing, karting, spectator events, and visits to some of our favorite places in Northern California. About the Environment While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone, and keyboard. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period. Light lifting may be required. Ability to travel by ground or air to attend team-building events. Occasional domestic travel for team building events, annual or semi-annual travel for leadership summits. Regular, predictable attendance is required. Must have the ability to read, write, speak, and understand English. Our Selection Process Apex is a founder-led organization deeply rooted in our values. Each individual at Apex meaningfully contributes to our success. Work outcomes are highly visible in our small team, and so every great new hire has the potential to positively impact our work and culture. Our selection process is rigorous with the goal of finding the best overall fit for each position. We use an EEOC-compliant assessment tool to measure behavioral drives and cognitive ability as one of many indicators of potential job fit. We meet virtually with candidates multiple times because, while first impressions matter, mutual alignment and capabilities matter more. We often engage our finalists in a short-term paid work assignment before making the final determination to extend an offer or engage in a long-term contract. This allows our finalists to get a realistic picture of life at Apex and our team to assess real performance on the job.