Customer Sales & Service Representative

About the role

As a Customer Sales & Service Representative (CSSR), you will establish and maintain profitable customer relationships by taking personal responsibility for each customer contact. You will ensure customer requirements are met while pursuing the company’s interests, serving as an integral part of the Applied sales team. Your role involves interacting with customers to address inquiries about products and services through various channels.

Responsibilities

• Professionally handle customer requests via phone, email, fax, EDI, walk-ins, or communication from Applied sales associates to resolve issues promptly and thoroughly.
• Recommend and source the most profitable products, prioritizing internal inventory and using supplier inventory as an alternative to meet or improve customer required dates.
• Proactively review open customer orders and pending quotes to ensure on-time responses, shipments, and conversion of quotes to orders.
• Communicate disruptions in service levels, approval requests, corrective actions, customer feedback, and preventive actions to Service Center management.
• Maintain a balance between company policy and customer benefit in decision-making, handling issues in the best interest of both Applied and the customer.
• Maximize profit by working with suppliers to gain additional chargebacks, recommending profitable product offerings, and recovering freight expenses.
• Support pricing and margin improvement efforts by identifying opportunities, reducing overrides, promoting profitable options, and adopting methods to enhance profitability.
• Develop and utilize product knowledge to assist customers with selections and coordinate supplier engineering support to drive the sales process.
• Invest personally in gaining proficiency in systems, product training, company initiatives, and continuous career development.
• Identify and evaluate process improvements to enhance the customer experience using feedback, supplier nonconformance, and performance metrics.
• Perform warehouse functions, including pulling and packing product, receiving, cycle counting, stock put-away, and product delivery. Provide emergency and after-hours services as scheduled.
• Provide backup support to other associates within the Service Center and perform additional duties as assigned by management.

Requirements

• 6+ months of customer service experience or 1+ year of experience in a stockroom/driving position within industrial distribution.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrated mechanical and mathematical aptitude.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Ability and desire to learn new systems and processes quickly.
• Strong computer skills, particularly in Excel.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods, walk, bend, and lift up to 25 lbs. regularly and up to 50 lbs. occasionally.

Qualifications

• SAP experience in a customer service setting (preferred).
• Knowledge of industrial products and hydraulics (preferred).
• Ability to learn and use calipers to measure specifications on industrial parts (preferred).
• Highly developed sense of integrity and commitment to customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated passion for excellence in customer service.
• Clear and professional verbal and written communication skills.
• Pleasant, patient, and friendly attitude.
• Detail-oriented with strong communication and listening skills.
• Solid work ethic and team-player mentality.