Customer Service Manager

Position Overview

As the Customer Service Manager, you will lead a high-performing customer service team dedicated to delivering an exceptional customer experience while supporting the company's strategic objectives. This role is responsible for developing people, optimizing processes, driving continuous improvement, and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and service excellence.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, develop, and inspire a team of Customer Service Representatives while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and exceptional customer service.
• Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, and retain top customer service talent.
• Establish clear performance expectations, conduct regular coaching sessions, provide timely feedback, and complete performance evaluations that support employee growth and development.
• Develop employee capabilities through cross-training, career development planning, succession planning, and ongoing skills enhancement.
• Manage staffing levels, schedules, workload distribution, vacation coverage, and departmental resources to ensure business continuity and service excellence.
• Monitor daily departmental activity to ensure customer inquiries, quotations, orders, complaints, returns, and service requests are handled accurately, professionally, and within established service level expectations.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex customer concerns, partnering with internal departments to resolve issues quickly while strengthening customer relationships.
• Analyze customer trends, service metrics, order accuracy, response times, backlog, and customer satisfaction data to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve departmental Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), and quality standards.
• Conduct regular quality reviews of customer interactions including emails, phone calls, and other customer communications to ensure consistency, professionalism, and adherence to company standards.
• Develop and maintain departmental procedures, work instructions, knowledge base articles, and standardized processes to improve consistency, efficiency, and training effectiveness.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and lead initiatives that improve productivity, reduce errors, enhance the customer experience, and support company growth.
• Partner closely with Sales, Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, Shipping, Accounting, and other departments to ensure seamless communication and timely resolution of customer needs.
• Communicate product changes, pricing updates, policy revisions, and operational changes to the customer service team while ensuring understanding and compliance.
• Prepare, analyze, and present departmental performance reports, customer trends, staffing recommendations, and continuous improvement initiatives to senior leadership.
• Absorb and manage departmental budgets while identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, quality standards, safety expectations, and applicable employment practices.
• Handle employee relations matters including coaching, corrective action, performance improvement plans, recognition, and employee engagement initiatives in partnership with Human Resources.
• Promote a positive, professional, and customer-focused culture that encourages teamwork, innovation, accountability, and ownership.
• Support organizational initiatives, technology implementations, system enhancements, and special projects that improve customer service operations.
• Remain current on industry best practices, emerging technologies, and customer service trends to continuously strengthen departmental performance.
• Build strong partnerships across departments to remove barriers, improve communication, and create a seamless customer experience from quote through shipment and post-sale support.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Talents and Qualifications

• Five (5) or more years of progressive customer service experience, including leadership or management responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution, and employee coaching skills.
• Proven ability to analyze data, establish performance metrics, and drive continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence across all levels of the organization.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Customer-first mindset with exceptional problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities.
• Experience developing policies, procedures, training materials, and process improvements.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office, ERP systems, CRM platforms, and business reporting tools.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality while exercising sound judgment and professionalism.

Physical Demands

• Able to bend, squat, twist, climb stairs and lift.
• Regularly required to use hands to fingers.
• Duties require use and operation of computer software and equipment that involve regular stationary periods for extended periods of time and repetitive hand movements.
• Able to occasionally lift and move objects up to 30 lbs.

Classification

Exempt
Full Time: Yes
Reports To: President