Automotive Operations Manager Jobs in Spring Grove, IL

Position Summary:

The Customer & Sales Support Manager leads AKG's wholesale support operations and serves as a working manager — directly involved in daily operations while simultaneously driving team development, cross-functional collaboration, and process improvement. Success in this role requires someone who moves fluidly between leadership and execution: developing people, partnering across the organization, and staying close enough to the work to lead by example. This position has a hybrid work schedule.

Key Responsibilities:

Day-to-Day Support Operations

• Manage and resolve customer cases from intake through resolution, and handle inbound calls on orders, products, pricing, and account status when volume requires it.
• Monitor open orders and backorders; coordinate with internal teams to obtain ETAs, identify substitutions, and ensure customers are kept informed throughout.
• Maintain service quality standards across all customer interactions and intervene directly when escalation or coverage warrants it.

Team Leadership & Coaching

• Develop team members through consistent call monitoring, regular one-on-ones, and real-time feedback, using phone system recordings and performance reporting to identify trends, recognize strengths, and close skill gaps.
• Establish clear expectations for call handling, case management, and customer communication; hold the team accountable in a constructive way and maintain and improve the SOPs and reference materials that make consistency repeatable.
• Partner with leadership to identify process improvement opportunities across the support function and collaborate cross-functionally with sales, operations, IT, and fulfillment to streamline workflows and remove friction for the team and the customer.

Sales Initiatives

• Support cross-sell and upsell activity within the team by helping representatives identify and act on revenue opportunities within the natural flow of customer interactions.
• Develop dormant account outreach lists by identifying lapsed customers and providing targeted data to the team; hold representatives accountable for working those lists and track re-engagement outcomes.
• Work closely with the broader sales team to share customer intelligence surfaced through support interactions.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Reporting

• Represent the voice of the customer in cross-functional conversations; identify and communicate patterns in product, fulfillment, or process with a focus on solutions.
• Track team performance against key metrics and share regular updates with leadership.
• Look for ways to make the team’s work faster, more consistent, and less reliant on tribal knowledge.

Education and Experience Required:

• 3–5 years of experience in customer service, inside sales support, or a similar role.
• At least 1–2 years in team leadership capacity — prior management or supervisory experience is not required but is considered an advantage.
• Experience working in or closely with a call center or high-volume phone environment.
• Background in distribution, wholesale, or the automotive/locksmith industry is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to balance direct customer-facing responsibilities with team leadership and oversight.
• Familiarity with RingCentral or a similar cloud phone/call center platform.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite — especially Excel and Outlook.

Preferred Skills and Abilities:

• Strong communicator — comfortable on the phone, in writing, and in direct coaching conversations.
• Genuine interest in developing other people, with the patience and self-awareness to do it well.
• Organized and detail-oriented; able to manage your own workload while keeping an eye on the team’s.
• Comfortable with CRM, order management, and ERP systems; able to learn new systems quickly and independently.
• Works well cross-functionally.

Job Type: Full-time Exempt

Expected Hours: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Pay: $63,000-65,000 annually plus bonus opportunity

Comprehensive benefits package offered.

Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis