Customer advocate Jobs in Houston, TX

Customer Service Manager

The Customer Service Manager leads the team supporting the full Customer Service function for Encon Safety Products. This role is responsible for leading a responsive, accurate, and technically competent support across customer orders, quotations, order tracking, technical product inquiries, bid and project support, complaint resolution, and after-sales service. The manager coordinates with the General Manager when coaching and developing, the Customer Service, Solution Support, and Technical Customer Service teams while working closely with Sales, Production, Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, Purchasing, Accounting, and other business partners to ensure customer needs are met and company policies, pricing guidelines, service standards, and performance goals are achieved.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead team in accordance with company policies and applicable laws, including interviewing, onboarding, training, planning, assigning and directing work and coaching.
• Develop associate skills, product knowledge, technical competency, system capability, and customer service behaviors through training, coaching, feedback, and team performance expectations.
• Create a motivating, accountable, and customer-focused work environment that supports associate growth, engagement, cross-training, and succession planning.
• Manage the team in resolving customer complaints quickly and appropriately, including coordinating Customer Feedback Response processes for technical product or service concerns.
• Make sound decisions regarding customer issue handling within company policy, escalating complex pricing, contractual, technical, or service issues when appropriate.
• Promote strong customer relationships across multiple market segments by ensuring consistent service standards, proactive communication, and thorough follow-through.
• Provide leadership for customer requests requiring review of technical data, specifications, drawings, application requirements, and product options in order to develop accurate quotations and recommendations.
• Coordinate with Sales, Production, Engineering, Product Managers, Sales Managers, Marketing, and customers to provide technical product specification and pricing information.
• Guide the team in offering value-engineered Encon alternatives that meet application needs that are customer focused.
• Manage budgetary and formal bid request activity, including review of product specifications, bid parameters, qualifications, stipulations, due dates, and project requirements.
• Document customer service performance against service KPI goals, quote responsiveness, order accuracy, customer issue resolution, productivity expectations, and digital utilization goals.
• Identify process, system, communication, training, and workflow improvements that increase customer satisfaction, reduce errors, accelerate response times, and improve team productivity.
• Partner with Sales, Production, Engineering, Product Management, Marketing, Purchasing, Accounting, and other business partners to implement strategic initiatives and resolve cross-functional customer service issues.
• Keep the customer service team current on changes in pricing, products, program parameters, business processes, and customer requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent combination of education, customer service, inside sales, technical support, manufacturing support, or leadership experience may be considered.
• Five or more years of customer service, inside sales, sales operations, technical customer support, project support, or manufacturing customer support experience preferred.
• Three or more years of supervisory or people leadership experience preferred, including coaching, performance management, training, scheduling, and workload prioritization.
• Experience using ERP systems required; Epicor Manufacturing or similar manufacturing ERP experience preferred.
• Experience with CRM systems, project tracking, quote management, order entry, and customer documentation required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, required.
• Ability to understand and interpret customer specifications, drawings, technical requirements, product information, procedure manuals, operating instructions, and commercial terms.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, commissions, percentages, proportions, pro-rata amounts, sales order dollars, areas, and volumes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including professional phone and email communication with customers, associates, and cross-functional partners.
• Strong data entry accuracy, documentation discipline, and ability to use computers, scanning devices, copier, fax, telephone, and related office equipment.
• Ability to handle difficult customer situations with diplomacy, urgency, sound judgment, and a customer-responsive mindset.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

Reasonable accommodations will be evaluated and may be implemented to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of this position.

• Onsite, in-person role performed primarily in an office or manufacturing-support environment.
• Regular use of computer, telephone, email, ERP/CRM systems, scanner, copier, fax machine, and related office equipment.
• May be required to sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, climb, balance, and occasionally lift or carry loads up to ten pounds.
• Requires close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.