Product Support Specialist

About Us

Shorthand is a growing company that provides a digital publishing platform to many of the world’s best-known publishers, brands, not-for-profits, and universities. With customers on every continent (except Antarctica!), there’s never been a more exciting time to join our growing band of geeks with art and heart. Our company has the rare distinction in this era of money-burning startups of being both investor-backed and comfortably profitable.

We aim to enchant our customers, and one of the ways we do this is through the stellar customer support we provide. It’s part of our magic, and that’s where you can help. 

What you’ll be doing

We're looking for a talented Product Support Specialist to join our team and can be based anywhere in the UK. We tend to do things a little differently at Shorthand. For one thing, we’re a small team distributed around the world. You’ll be working from home or at a co-working location of your choice. 

This role will report to the Director of Customer Support, Platform & Security, and work closely with your colleagues in customer support, engineering, sales and customer success.

In this role you’ll:

• Become an expert in the use of Shorthand if not already.
• Work closely with colleagues in customer support, engineering, sales and customer success to quickly and efficiently solve customer problems. 
• Respond to and resolve product support enquiries from customers, including those relating to product features, publishing, hosting, CMS integration, and other general support questions.
• Become intimately familiar with all Shorthand features, and eventually to gain an understanding of the entire Shorthand application stack.
• Report bugs in the product as they are found.
• Facilitate long-term bug resolution while proactively managing customer expectations and ensuring consistent follow-through.
• Pitch new product features and improvements based on customer requirements.
• Assist with creating and managing support collateral, including support documents and blog posts. 
• Assist with QA and testing. 

We are looking for someone who:

• Is early in their career and whip-smart, as demonstrated by career achievements or school/university results.
• Is a savvy, customer-focused problem solver, with empathy in spades and always willing to go that extra mile.
• Thinks through problems analytically and rigorously.
• Has a love for the web and web technology.
• Has some understanding of CSS, HTML and JavaScript, with a desire to learn more.
• Has some experience in designing, managing and updating websites. 
• Has a good working knowledge of different CMSs, web hosting, SEO and analytics.
• Has impeccable communication skills, particularly with respect to writing. (We will be asking you to write your own Shorthand story as part of the recruitment process!) 
• Is interested in storytelling, creative writing, web design or a related field. 

Experience & Qualifications:

• A minimum 1-2 years of experience in a customer-facing role (need not be in a software business). 
• Qualification in a relevant field, or the ability to demonstrate your passion for web design and tech if you are self-taught. (Role would suit an aspiring web developer who is looking to grow their knowledge of web development as part of a high-performing team.)
• Experience of working in a small business or startup environment is desirable but not required.
• Experience collaborating with globally dispersed teams is desirable.
• Experience working remotely is preferred.
• Enthusiasm for writing, visual communication and storytelling is a must.

Personality Attributes: 

• You are a proactive self-starter who does not need to be told what to do and will be resourceful to find solutions to any challenge. 
• You are not afraid to get your hands dirty, but you’re also collaborative and consultative when necessary.
• You thrive in a fast-paced and demanding environment, possess a high level of intellectual curiosity, and demonstrate strong judgment in the face of ambiguity.
• You are an agile, goal-oriented personality, driven to succeed and always up for a challenge!
• You are happy when our customers are happy.

Why work for us

We offer:

• Options for working your way: fully remote working, flexible hours, and an allowance for a co-working space if you prefer.
• The opportunity to work in a growing SaaS company that is still small enough that you can make a real impact.
• An allowance for setting up your home office, a laptop, and any peripherals you need to do your job.
• An Employee Option Plan for all team members.
• A Health and Wellness fund to support your healthy lifestyle, as well as access to coaching and counselling services.
• Paid parental leave if you are growing your tribe.
• A proudly a carbon neutral organisation, taking climate action with Trace as part of a broader sustainability strategy
• The base salary range for this position is £30,00-£32,000. Base salary ranges are determined by multiple factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skills, experience and local market benchmarks.

Shorthand’s interview process

We value direct communication here at Shorthand and want to be transparent on how we hire. Our process involves:

• An initial Zoom screen: You’ll have an informal Zoom meeting with the hiring manager to discuss your background, the role, and what led you to apply.
• A work task: We’ll ask you to complete a take-home task, similar to the work you’ll be doing in the role, using our software platform. This should take approximately 2-4 hours. This helps you to develop familiarity with our platform ahead of meeting with the hiring panel and helps us to verify that you’d be a great fit for the role.
• Interviews: You’ll have interviews with the hiring panel over Zoom. This means you’ll typically get to meet another 3 people from Shorthand, including our CEO.
• Final checks: The successful candidate will undergo a reference and police check prior to us sending the final employment agreement. 

Our workplace is 100% distributed and all interviews are conducted virtually. Please let us know of any reasonable accommodations you may need during the interview process.