Senior Specialist, Premium Support (Japanese speaker)

The Difference You Will Make:

We are seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic candidate to provide exceptional Customer Service support to the Airbnb community as a Senior Specialist, Premium Support. The ideal candidate is flexible, hospitable, analytical, and committed to delivering the highest standards of service. This is a full time position based in Japan.

The Senior Specialist, Premium Support functions on the front line interacting directly with both customers & internal stakeholders. As a Senior Specialist, Premium Support, you will be primarily responsible for providing end-to-end support to key members of our community experiencing an issue with their reservation, including but not limited to the Luxury segment. You will take ownership of cases, ensuring complete resolution while fostering strong relationships with our users along the way.

A Senior Specialist, Premium Support needs strong communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and customer service expertise. They will be expected to work in strong autonomy, being able to assess a case & constantly looking for the right solution for both Host, Users and internal stakeholders. As part of this role, you are required to be flexible and may be required to move to different teams within Community Support and/or take up different responsibilities from those set out below. The ideal candidate will be open to a role which will evolve based on business needs and will be flexible to meet those needs.

A Typical Day:

The responsibilities listed below are not exhaustive. Given the fast-moving nature of this work, the responsibilities set out below may change and additional duties may be assigned as needed.

Complex case management: Provide the highest level of service to our community in each and every case, including handling the service’s most severe and urgent cases

• Interact with Airbnb customers and community members through all current and future channels, both inside and outside of Airbnb tools
• Take end-to-end ownership of all assigned cases: ensuring a complete final resolution is reached based on workflows, management guidelines & your own assessment of the case situation
• Become a subject matter expert in Airbnb policies and procedures
• Explains and simplify complex information, provide appropriate context, and address complex questions with confidence
• Ability to negotiate & mediate between Host & Guest in resolving the issues at hand on high-stake & high-value reservations
• Proactively anticipate users expectations regarding case resolution and work towards the best outcome for all parties involved, thinking outside the box & constantly looking for compromises
• Manage highly sensitive cases end to end that might include working cross functionally with Legal, Policy, other services, etc.
• Operate in full autonomy, making the decisions to follow or go outside of workflows to resolve our customers issues with the best outcome possible from both our community & business expectations

Combining efficiency with bespoke quality: Set the gold standard for performance for the service, 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

• Acts consistently impeccably in handling of customer-facing casework, personalizing communications and demonstrating the highest hospitality standards
• Drive cases to conclusion with a sense of urgency and without error, using strong judgment to make exceptions in ambiguous situations

Participating in your team’s improvement: Leverage your functional operational knowledge to proactively lead the team to succeed

• Provide insights about community experience and continuous improvement opportunities to your Management
• Supports the simplification of complex processes and ways of working within the team
• Supports Management on initiatives as assigned, such as to drive performance improvements, supporting management on consultations, acting as an SME, etc.
• Supports onboarding of new employees
• Be a positive force in the team and help management drive & land changes with the least frictions possible
• Willing to take on various tasks and responsibilities as needed (including moving teams) and showing openness to new challenges and a proactive approach to work

Stakeholder engagement: You build and maintain strategic partnerships to achieve team or functional goals

• Demonstrates a high degree of flexibility, approachability, and integrity when resolving sensitive/complex issues relying on management when in doubt
• Write clearly and concisely, translating complex ideas to multiple audiences, and knowing which stakeholder needs to be consulted about what
• Build & nurture relationships outside of your team
• You are on-call to handle emergency situations in the evenings & weekends
• Inspire a culture where quality is a core principle.

Your Expertise:

Your background & experience

• 5+ years of relevant experience in multicultural customer service teams, preferably in the hospitality industry (experience with high-profile and influential clientele is preferred) and in a role making calls and handling customer/client contacts
• Hospitality experience is a plus, in particular working for technology platforms. Prior experience using phone, messaging, or live chat to interact with users/customers is preferred.
• Experience engaging with executive-level stakeholders to resolve conflicts in a detailed, effective and timely manner, and demonstrated ability to explain complex ideas simply and clearly.
• Ability to work weekend days and public holidays, as well as early morning / evening shifts. Your schedule can change to meet business needs

Your skills & expertise

• World class interpersonal and communication skills, both written and spoken, including conflict resolution.
• Active listening skills
• Empathy and patience in dealing with customers, especially in high-pressure situations
• Excellent organizational skills, including prioritization, multitasking, attention to detail, and meeting goals and commitments
• Passion for delivering exceptional customer service and setting a high bar
• 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 towards embracing new challenges and adjusting to changing priorities and environments.
• Capable of adjusting to evolving roles and job duties with openness and flexibility, as well as moving to a new team.
• Experience engaging with executive-level stakeholders, and demonstrated ability to explain complex ideas simply and clearly
• Able to assess risk accurately, understand level of urgency, exercise good judgment, and share the most pertinent information with stakeholders, including Executives
• Advanced computer skills, including Apple/Mac OS, Google Suite, and familiarity with CRM systems and the ability to quickly learn new tools
• Language proficiency in English, other languages are a plus

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.