Helpdesk Agent (Hourly) Jobs

Westat is currently seeking individuals to work 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday (Available 8:00am - 8:00pm) to support our field interviewers and respondents on a national education study. A successful candidate must have 1 year customer service or Help Desk/call center experience, a basic familiarity with browser-based software on a Windows 10 computer, and with computer navigation on modern browsers. This position is on-site at our Gaithersburg, MD location.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Promptly follow up on all assigned Help Desk tickets.
• Monitor and respond to phone calls, voicemails, emails and live chat in a timely manner as assigned by Supervisors and Task Advisors.
• Must be flexible and willing to help on other tasks as they arise. These tasks are assigned by Help Desk Supervisors and Task Advisors. Examples include but are not limited to: calling schools for follow up, project testing, or assisting with other operational tasks.
• Record all incoming issues using ticket-tracking software on the computer.
• Complete project non-disclosure forms, ensure, and adhere to project confidentiality requirements at all times.
• Agree and adhere to protocol regarding use of work equipment and resources.
• Help Desk agents are monitored on voice calls and live chats for quality assurance on a scheduled basis.
• Agents are responsible for learning project material in the Help Desk knowledge base and other reference materials.
• Agents are required to attend all training sessions and any scheduled meetings after training.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Must be able to answer questions in a grammatically correct, non-technical style, concentrating on brief questions and answers.
• Must be able to spell accurately, have good sentence composition skills, and communicate using professional etiquette.
• Must have a clear, easily understandable speaking voice in English.
• Must be able to apply acquired knowledge to clearly articulate answers to requesters.
• Must have a basic familiarity with browser-based software on a Windows 10 computer and with computer navigation on modern browsers including Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
• Must be able to work a full-time 40-hour schedule according to your assigned shift at the Gaither Road location.
• Must be able to communicate technical documentation clearly to users who may be unfamiliar with computers, smart phones, routers, or project-specific systems.
• Must be able to quickly learn procedures and systems and adapt to changes throughout the assignment.
• Minimum 1-year customer service or Help Desk/call center experience.
• Minimum typing speed of 30 WPM.
• Must successfully complete a federal government background screening (eQIP).
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Bilingual applicants must be fluent in both Spanish and English and have excellent writing as well as speaking skills in both languages. Candidates will not be considered bilingual unless they possess excellent skills in all three areas of communication.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Microsoft 365, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and Word.
• Experience with an electronic ticket tracking system, such as Zendesk, with integrated VOIP.
• Associate’s degree or higher in an IT-related or customer service field.
• Experience with remote support software, such as LogMeIn Rescue.
• Experience with remote conferencing software such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
• Experience with Deltek Time & Expense time-tracking software.
• Entry level CompTIA A+ IT Certification.
• Experience with Windows 10 operating system; ChromeOS and Mac and iOS experience.

Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other protected status under applicable law.

Research - Survey Support