Customer Service Manager Jobs in Inver Grove Heights, MN

The Customer Service Manager is responsible for leading the daily customer service and inside sales support operations for CRTG's industrial plastics distribution business. This role ensures exceptional customer service while driving operational efficiency, order accuracy, and continuous improvement across all customer-facing processes.

The Customer Service Manager leads a team responsible for order entry, quotations, customer communications, pricing support, and issue resolution. Working closely with outside sales, branch operations, procurement, warehouse personnel, and management, this position ensures customers receive timely, accurate, and professional service while supporting company sales and profitability objectives.

This role combines leadership, process management, customer relationship management, and operational execution to create a best-in-class customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Service Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the Customer Service team.
• Establish performance expectations, service standards, and departmental KPIs.
• Conduct employee training, performance evaluations, and ongoing coaching.
• Foster a culture focused on customer satisfaction, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure adequate staffing and workload balancing to meet customer expectations.

Order Management & Customer Support

• Oversee daily order entry, order maintenance, and order processing activities.
• Ensure customer orders are entered accurately, released promptly, and fulfilled according to customer requirements.
• Monitor order status and proactively resolve delivery, inventory, or pricing issues.
• Support customers with product availability, order tracking, returns, and technical coordination.
• Maintain high levels of customer communication throughout the order lifecycle.

Quote & Pricing Administration

• Oversee quotation preparation and follow-up activities.
• Ensure pricing accuracy and compliance with company pricing policies.
• Coordinate special pricing requests, contract pricing, and approval processes.
• Work with sales representatives to provide timely and competitive quotations.
• Monitor quote turnaround times and conversion rates.

Customer Relationship Management

• Build strong relationships with customers through responsive and professional service.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for customer service issues.
• Resolve customer concerns involving order accuracy, delivery, product quality, invoicing, and returns.
• Coordinate corrective actions with sales, warehouse, purchasing, and operations teams.
• Maintain high customer satisfaction through proactive communication and follow-up.

Operational Excellence

• Develop and maintain standardized customer service processes and best practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflow efficiency, order accuracy, and customer response times.
• Monitor departmental metrics including:
• Order accuracy
• Quote turnaround time
• On-time order processing
• Customer response times
• Customer satisfaction
• Recommend and implement continuous improvement initiatives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Outside Sales Representatives to support customer growth.
• Coordinate with purchasing, inventory management, warehouse, and logistics teams to resolve supply chain challenges.
• Work with branch leadership to ensure consistent execution of customer service standards.
• Support sales initiatives through effective communication and operational execution.

ERP, CRM & Reporting

• Ensure data accuracy within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Salesforce, and related systems.
• Develop and maintain reports measuring customer service performance and operational metrics.
• Analyze trends related to order processing, customer issues, and service levels.
• Utilize reporting to identify opportunities for operational improvements.

Compliance & Quality

• Ensure compliance with company policies, pricing procedures, and quality standards.
• Maintain accurate customer records and documentation.
• Support audit requirements and internal controls related to order processing.
• Promote safe and ethical business practices throughout the department.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in industrial distribution, industrial plastics, manufacturing, or customer service management.
• 3+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong understanding of industrial distribution processes including quoting, order entry, inventory, and customer support.
• Experience working with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Salesforce CRM, Microsoft Office, and reporting tools.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities.
• Commitment to delivering outstanding customer service.

Preferred Experience

• Industrial plastics or piping systems distribution.
• Industrial PVF, fluid handling, or process equipment distribution.
• Customer service management within B2B industrial distribution.
• ERP implementation or process improvement initiatives.
• Lean or continuous improvement methodologies.

Core Competencies

• Customer Focus
• Leadership & Team Development
• Communication
• Operational Excellence
• Problem Solving
• Process Improvement
• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Time Management
• Decision Making
• Attention to Detail
• Business Acumen