Remote CRM & Customer Support Specialist – Guest Operations (Panama, Long-Term)

Remote CRM & Customer Support Specialist – Guest Operations (Panama, Long-Term)

Full-time · Freelance / Independent Contractor · US$700–850/month to start

This is a remote digital-operations role, not a hotel front desk.

Villa Alejandro has operated boutique hotels in Boquete, Panama for ten years. We currently run six properties with close to 70 accommodation units and are expanding to ten and beyond. Our guest operation is fully remote and almost entirely text-based: guests reach us through messaging, email and the major booking platforms.

Because we are growing, we are building the team out — and the people who perform here move up. Supervisory and management positions in our remote operation are filled from within.

What the job actually demands: speed on a keyboard and speed in a CRM. You will run several customer conversations across several channels at the same time, work with several applications open in parallel, and close every loop with clean documentation.

Hospitality, short-term-rental or OTA experience is welcome — but it is not required and it is not what we select on. The strongest people in this role come from CRM, ticketing, dispatch or high-volume chat support. If you have lived inside Salesforce, Zendesk, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, a ticket queue or a dispatch board under real volume, you are the profile we are looking for — whether that was in BPO, SaaS, e-commerce, travel support or an in-house system.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

* Answer guest inquiries by messaging, email and booking platforms
* Support reservations, check payment and booking status, coordinate online check-in and room access
* Give concierge and local-information support
* Work across our booking and property systems and keep guest and reservation records current
* Coordinate with housekeeping and local operations
* Document what is done, what is pending and what needs follow-up, and hand over cleanly to the next shift
* Report system or communication problems immediately

REQUIREMENTS

* Fluent written and spoken English, approximately C1 level — no certificate required
* 50+ WPM typing, 60+ preferred — take the 1-minute test at ---------- before applying
* Real experience in a CRM, helpdesk, ticketing, dispatch or high-volume chat-support system
* A computer that keeps at least 20 browser tabs open at once, plus a video call, without slowing down (min. 8 GB RAM, 16 preferred, SSD). Why: this role runs many applications and platforms in parallel. Closing and reopening them costs time on every single request — the systems stay open all shift.
* Power backup and a backup internet connection: a power bank or UPS, plus a mobile SIM or hotspot. Why: outages happen — in the Philippines as in Panama. A guest waiting at 11 PM cannot be told the power went out. Being able to keep working through an outage is part of this job, and how you prepare for it tells us how you work.
* Primary internet 20+ Mbps
* A computer used only by you — shared devices are not accepted for confidentiality reasons
* Private, quiet workspace; camera and screen sharing
* Both rotating shifts, including weekends and holidays
* Time Doctor while clocked in (nothing outside paid time); no other paid work during our shifts

NICE TO HAVE (not required): hotel, short-term-rental or OTA background · hotel PMS experience · Spanish

AUTHORITY: Refunds, discounts, free late checkouts, payment or room-access exceptions always require supervisor approval.

SCHEDULE: 5 shifts per week, 40 paid hours.
AM 8:00 AM–4:30 PM Panama (9:00 PM–5:30 AM PH)
PM 3:00 PM–11:30 PM Panama (4:00 AM–12:30 PM PH)
8 paid hours + 30 min unpaid break. Optional 6th shift paid proportionally.

COMPENSATION AND DEVELOPMENT

* US$700–850/month to start, depending on experience and verified skills
* Paid via Western Union, transfer fee covered by us
* Performance and pay review after 3 months; strong performers move up significantly
* Intensive onboarding and training in the first weeks — fully paid
* Growth path into supervisory and management roles as we expand

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE INTERVIEW — read this before you apply

Everything you write below is verified live on a shared screen:

* You repeat the typing test live. The result must match what you wrote.
* You show your computer's system information, open 20+ tabs while we watch, and run a live speed test on your main connection and your backup.
* You show your power backup and the workspace you will actually use.
* You answer detailed questions about the systems you listed, and complete a live multitasking exercise.

There is no advantage in overstating anything. A significant gap between the application and the live check ends the process on the spot.

HOW TO APPLY


Email ---------- with the subject:

RGOS Application – [Your Full Name]

On OnlineJobs.ph, put that same line as the first line of your message.

We evaluate only the answers written directly in the message body. Attachments, screenshots and external links do not replace the requested answers. A generic cover letter is not needed — answer all six sections, concisely and specifically.

1. TYPING TEST
Complete the 1-minute test at ---------- .
* WPM:
* Accuracy:
One exact result, not a range.

2. REMOTE AND SYSTEMS EXPERIENCE
* Years of remote work:
* Most recent remote position:

For each important CRM, helpdesk, ticketing, dispatch, booking or support system:
* System name:
* Company or position where you used it:
* Length of experience:
* What you personally did inside the system (not just the software name):

Also:
* In a normal shift, roughly how many chats, tickets, emails or open cases did you handle?
* Highest number of conversations or cases you handled at the same time:

3. WORK SETUP
* Computer model:
* Processor:
* RAM:
* Operating system:
* Primary internet provider and speed:
* Backup internet provider and connection type:
* Power-backup solution:
* Computer used only by you: Yes/No

4. AVAILABILITY
* Available for both rotating shifts: Yes/No
* Available on weekends and holidays: Yes/No
* Previous night-shift experience — where, and for how long?
* Time Doctor accepted: Yes/No
* Other current job, client or business:
* Other paid work during Villa Alejandro shifts: Yes/No

5. WORK ORGANIZATION AND JUDGMENT
Answer both, briefly.

A. Queue management
You have eight open customer conversations. Two are waiting for information from another department, one customer has followed up twice, and a new urgent case arrives.
How do you organize the work, prioritize the cases, and make sure nothing is forgotten?

B. Operational scenario
At 11:00 PM, three situations happen at the same time:
* A guest reports the air-conditioning is broken and demands a full refund or another room. The property is full and maintenance is available at 8:00 AM.
* Another guest requests a free late checkout until 3:00 PM.
* An arriving guest requests the room-access code, but payment and online check-in have not been verified.

Describe your first five minutes:
* In what order do you handle the three situations?
* What do you say to each person?
* What do you verify and document?
* Which decisions require supervisor approval?
* What stays pending and needs follow-up?

6. HONESTY
Which requirement, if any, do you not currently meet completely?

You may use AI to improve the English in your application, but all facts, experience and answers must be your own and truthful.

Individual applicants only. No agencies, recruiters or service offers.