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Williams-Sonoma often has seasonal job openings in the lead-up to the winter holidays. They hire for multiple call centers across various states, so they usually have a ton of spots to fill – but that doesn’t mean they won’t go quick, so get your application in as quickly as possible if you’re interested. Training has begun as early as October 1st! I’ve broken down the job opportunity for you below with all the information that’s fit to print.
The Position: Seasonal Customer Service Associate
Williams-Sonoma hires caring customer service representatives to field inbound customer calls and help create a seamless great experience for customers across all of their brands (including their Pottery Barn stores, West Elm, and Mark & Graham). They highlight that they offer “world class customer service,” and that’s what they’re looking for in potential representatives to fill these seasonal positions in their Customer Care Center.
In this position, you would be expected to help customers with the usual tasks: placing orders, processing returns, locating products, suggesting alternative products for out-of-stock items, setting up deliveries, and more. And, of course, you’re expected to do it with a smile they can hear and ensure every customer interaction with the Williams-Sonoma family of brands is an excellent one.
As of this posting, there are seasonal positions open in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio along with the cities of Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Reno, and Tulsa. These are where some of their Customer Care Centers are located, which is relevant to the job posting: although these positions are work-at-home, they prefer for their representatives to live in relative proximity.
Requirements
One of the most important requirements of this position is that you must be within a certain distance of one of their Customer Care Centers. That’s why the job listings for Seasonal Customer Service Associate are listed by location – you must be within 1.5 hours of that location by car. The location is by state where possible (Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio) and then city-specific for the rest: Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Reno, and Tulsa. Williams-Sonoma explains that you’ll be expected to come into the office for meetings and training, for which they will provide advance notice.
The advertised technical requirements for this job are pretty standard: you need a home computer (desktop or laptop) with high-speed Internet access. You also need a webcam (for “live virtual discussion”) and a headset.
You must have a high school diploma (or equivalent), and they’d prefer you to have one to two years experience in customer service. You should have fantastic communication skills – you’ll be expected to communicate with customers verbally and internal communications may be written. You should be able to do data entry accurately and efficiently as well. You also need to be sufficiently tech-savvy so that you can navigate multiple computer systems independently and reliably navigate the Internet.
Schedule
The schedule for this position could be a minimum of 30 hours per week and may go up to 50 hours per week during peak holiday hours – the standard schedule is 40 hours weekly spread over the usual 5-day week. Their Customer Care Centers seem to be open every day of the week, so your schedule is almost guaranteed to include at least one weekend day. As with any customer service position, you must be punctual and reliable throughout your employment.
Training for the current opening is paid and begins soon!
Pay and Other Benefits
At the time of writing this post, they advertise the pay for this position is $12 per hour. (Rates and job details can change at any time without notice.) Overtime will most likely be available, but they don’t outline what the pay rate for overtime may be – though the Fair Labor Standards Act outlines that overtime is paid on a “time and a half” scale.
As a Seasonal Customer Service Associate with Williams-Sonoma, you will enjoy a 40% discount on most merchandise – which is great if you’re a Williams-Sonoma fan! You can also expect to enjoy contests and rewards – as well as to be recognized for your performance.
They don’t mention whether this seasonal job could become a permanent one, but they do say there is opportunity for growth and promotion.
What are People Saying About This Job?
Most of the positive employee reviews on Glassdoor hit the same notes again and again: they love the flexibility offered in scheduling, and the employee discount is very popular. They also enjoy the pay rate and, of course, the fact that it’s work-from-home.
The same notes are also repeated in the negative column: training is one of the biggest complaints. Many employees feel that training proceeds too quickly, that the materials aren’t the most helpful, and the trainers are overworked with too many trainees to adequately answer all questions.
Another big complaint involves getting requested paid time off approved; you may have most major holidays off, but it’s expected that days around those holidays are blacked out for requested PTO. That’s standard operating procedure for customer-oriented call centers, especially those specifically hiring seasonal reps. They are hiring specifically to cover the days leading up to major shopping holidays. They expect agents applying to be able to accommodate that request.
If this work-from-home opportunity with Williams-Sonoma sounds just your speed, don’t hesitate to get your application in. These are seasonal positions meant to fit their increased needs for the holiday season, and training begins well before then. They will fill fast!
Check for the most recent openings here and on FlexJobs.
