Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
The community you will join:
We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic candidate to provide exceptional customer service to the Airbnb community as a Senior Specialist, Premium Support. The ideal person is flexible, hospitable, analytical, and committed to providing the highest standards of service, in English, both orally and in writing.
The difference you will make:
The Senior Specialist, Premium Support works on the front line, in direct interaction with customers as well as internal stakeholders. In this capacity, you will be primarily responsible for providing end-to-end support to key members of our community who are experiencing a problem related to their booking, including, but not limited to, those in the luxury segment. You will take ownership of cases, ensuring their complete resolution, while building strong relationships with our users.
A Senior Specialist, Premium Support must possess strong communication, problem-solving, and customer service skills. The person will need to work with a high degree of autonomy, being able to assess a case and constantly seek the best solution, both for the host and for the users, as well as for internal stakeholders. As part of this role, you will need to demonstrate flexibility and may be asked to change teams within Community Support and/or assume responsibilities different from those described below. The ideal candidate will be open to a role that is expected to evolve according to the needs of the business and will know how to adapt to these needs.
A typical day:
The responsibilities listed below are not exhaustive. Given the fast-paced nature of this work, these responsibilities may change and additional tasks may be assigned as needed.
Complex case management: Provide the highest level of service to our community in every case, including taking charge of the most serious and urgent service cases.
- Interact with customers and members of the Airbnb community through all current and future channels, both inside and outside of Airbnb tools
- Take full ownership of all assigned cases, ensuring that a final, complete resolution is reached, based on work methods, management guidelines, and your own assessment of the situation
- Become an expert in Airbnb policies and procedures
- Explain and simplify complex information, provide appropriate context, and answer complex questions with confidence
- Be able to negotiate and mediate between the host and the guest to resolve issues involved in high-stakes and high-value bookings
- Proactively anticipate user expectations regarding case resolution and work toward the best possible outcome for all parties involved, thinking outside the box and constantly seeking compromises
- Manage highly sensitive cases from end to end, which may involve working cross-functionally with Legal, Policy, and other departments
- Act with full autonomy, making the decision to follow or deviate from established work methods in order to resolve our customers' issues with the best possible outcome, from both the community and business perspectives
Combining efficiency with personalized quality: Set the benchmark for service performance by providing consistently personalized and exceptional customer support to guests and hosts, ensuring their unique needs and preferences are met with the highest level of care and attention
- Act consistently impeccably in managing customer-facing cases, personalizing communications, and demonstrating the highest standards of hospitality
- Bring cases to a close with a sense of urgency and without error, using good judgment to make exceptions in ambiguous situations
Participating in your team's improvement: Leverage your functional operational knowledge to proactively lead your team toward success
- Provide management with observations on the community experience and opportunities for continuous improvement
- Support the simplification of complex processes and work methods within the team
- Support management in initiatives entrusted to you, such as performance improvement, support for consultations, acting as a content expert, etc.
- Support the onboarding of new employees
- Be a positive force within the team and help management lead and implement changes with as little friction as possible
- Be willing to take on various tasks and responsibilities as needed (including changing teams), demonstrating openness to new challenges and a proactive approach to work
Stakeholder engagement: You build and maintain strategic partnerships to achieve team or functional goals
- Demonstrate a high degree of flexibility, approachability, and integrity when resolving sensitive or complex problems, relying on management in case of doubt
- Write clearly and concisely, translating complex ideas for different audiences, and knowing which stakeholder to consult and on what subject
- Build and maintain relationships outside of your team
- Be available on-call to handle emergencies in the evenings and on weekends
- Inspire a culture where quality is a fundamental principle
Your expertise:
- 6 or more years of relevant experience within multicultural customer service teams, ideally in the hospitality sector (experience with high-level and influential clientele is an asset), and in a role involving calls and managing customer contacts
- Experience in hospitality is an asset, particularly within technology platforms. Prior experience using phone, messaging, or live chat to interact with users is preferred.
- Experience dealing with executive-level stakeholders to resolve conflicts in a detailed, efficient, and timely manner, and demonstrated ability to explain complex ideas simply and clearly.
- Ability to work weekends and holidays, as well as morning or evening shifts. Your schedule may change according to business needs.
Your skills and expertise:
- World-class interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written, including conflict resolution
- Active listening skills
- Empathy and patience in customer interactions, especially in high-pressure situations
- Excellent organizational skills, including prioritization, multitasking, attention to detail, and meeting goals and commitments
- Passion for providing exceptional customer service and setting high standards
- Ability to thrive in an ambiguous, fast-paced, and complex environment, acting proactively to respond quickly and decisively
- Ability to adapt to new tasks and responsibilities as needed
- Proactive attitude toward new challenges and adjusting to changing priorities and environments
- Ability to adapt to evolving roles and functions with openness and flexibility, as well as to change teams
- Experience dealing with executive-level stakeholders, and demonstrated ability to explain complex ideas simply and clearly
- Ability to accurately assess risks, understand the degree of urgency, exercise good judgment, and share the most relevant information with stakeholders, including management
- Advanced computer skills, including Apple/Mac OS, Google Suite, and knowledge of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, as well as the ability to quickly learn new tools
- Fluency in English, both oral and written, is required.
Your work location:
This position is eligible for remote work - Canada. The role may include occasional work in an Airbnb office or participation in company events, as agreed with your manager. Although the position is eligible for remote work, you must reside in a province where Airbnb Canada, Inc. has a registered entity. We can currently hire in the following provinces: Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. This list is constantly evolving; please check with your recruiter to find out which provinces you are eligible to work in.
Our commitment to inclusion and belonging:
Airbnb is committed to working with the widest possible talent pool. We believe that diversity of ideas fosters innovation and engagement, and allows us to attract creative people, as well as develop the best products, services, and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.
We also strive to provide an inclusive application and interview process for people with disabilities. If you are a candidate with a disability and need reasonable accommodations to submit an application, please contact us at: [email protected]. Please include your full name, the position you are applying for, and the accommodation needed to assist you in the recruitment process.
We ask that you contact us only if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from completing our online application form.
We use automated tools to help our recruiting team efficiently review a high volume of applications. All final hiring decisions are made by a real person.
This position is newly created and does not replace or fill an existing position.
How We'll Take Care of You:
Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range shown below is annualized, is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.
Canada Annual Pay Range
$83,000—$88,000 CAD