Customer Service & Order Fulfillment Manager

Job Description

Job Description

The Customer Service & Order Fulfillment Manager is responsible for the support functions required to provide high-level service to all customers. This position ensures customer orders move successfully from acceptance through delivery and that problems are resolved quickly when they arise.

Success in this position requires strong communication, organization, attention to detail, follow-through, and a customer-first mindset. The Customer Service & Order Fulfillment Manager works closely with Sales, Operations, Warehouse, Finance, suppliers, and other cross-functional partners to ensure efficient experience for both customers and internal stakeholders. Additionally, the role serves as a change agent for the sales order and proposal process, ERP optimization, and comprehensive procurement management for the manufacturing and lease business units.

Details:

Customer Order Fulfillment

• Own and continuously improve the customer order fulfillment process from accepted order through shipment and delivery, working hands-on alongside the team as volume and priorities require.
• Ensure customer orders are complete, accurate, and properly entered into the ERP system before fulfillment.
• Partner with Sales, Operations, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Finance to proactively identify and resolve issues that could delay customer orders.
• Monitor open orders, fulfillment status, backorders, and exceptions and proactively communicate risks to appropriate stakeholders.
• Establish and monitor key order fulfillment metrics, including order accuracy, on-time shipment, freight accuracy, and open-order aging.
• Identify recurring fulfillment issues, determine root causes, and lead corrective process improvements.
• Serve as a key business owner for improvements to the sales order and fulfillment workflow within the ERP and CRM systems.

Customer Service

• Serve as a primary point of contact for customer service inquiries, product concerns, warranty claims, returns, replacements, and other post-sale customer needs.
• Oversee customer issues from initial submission through resolution, ensuring timely follow-up and clear communication throughout the process.
• Monitor customer cases submitted through the CRM platform and designated service request email address.
• Review, document, prioritize, and assign customer cases to the appropriate internal team members or external partners for action.
• Lead the investigation of customer issues, working cross-functionally to identify root causes, determine appropriate resolutions, and implement corrective actions to reduce recurrence.
• Establish and monitor customer service standards and KPIs, including response time, resolution time, open case aging, recurring issue trends, and customer satisfaction.
• Follow up with internal teams, customers, suppliers, manufacturers, and other external partners regarding open warranty claims, product complaints, service requests, and related issues.
• Communicate case status, next steps, and final resolutions clearly and professionally to both customers and internal stakeholders.
• Work with cross-functional peers to coordinate product returns, replacements, credits, repairs, or other resolutions as needed.
• Maintain complete and accurate records of customer interactions, case activity, resolutions, and supporting documentation within the appropriate systems.
• Proactively monitor open cases and follow up on outstanding actions to help ensure issues are resolved in a timely manner.
• Identify recurring customer issues and escalate trends or potential product, supplier, or process concerns to management.
• Maintain and follow established customer service procedures while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and customer experience.
• Ensure customer service processes and procedures are documented, maintained, and consistently followed.
• Uphold the highest level of customer satisfaction through responsive, professional, and solutions-oriented service.

Purchasing

• Manage day-to-day purchasing activities to ensure products, materials, supplies, and services are procured accurately, cost-effectively, and in accordance with required timelines.
• Manage the purchase order lifecycle from issuance through receipt, including supplier confirmations, pricing, quantities, lead times, delivery dates, and discrepancies.
• Proactively manage supplier performance related to delivery, responsiveness, order accuracy, quality, and issue resolution.
• Partner with Operations and Manufacturing to identify purchasing requirements and proactively address material availability and supply risks.
• Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, lead-time, and purchasing data within the ERP system.
• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency, supplier performance, freight costs, and working capital.
• Coordinate shipping rates for freight forwarding of domestic and international shipments.
• Design and implement a documented purchase order approval process, including authority thresholds, exception handling and escalation paths.
• Review and approve purchase orders within established authority limits, escalating commitments above threshold and resolving exceptions.

Other Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop direct reports, establishing clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and holding team members accountable for performance, accuracy, responsiveness, and customer service standards.
• Manage team workload, priorities, and coverage to ensure customer service, order fulfillment, and purchasing responsibilities are completed accurately and on time, while identifying opportunities for cross-training and employee development.
• Perform other tasks as directed by the management.

Requirements and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field preferred; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in customer service, order fulfillment, purchasing, supply chain, operations, or a related function; experience in a manufacturing, distribution, or B2B environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience owning business processes and driving improvements across multiple departments or functional areas.
• Strong customer service orientation with demonstrated ability to manage complex customer issues, resolve escalations, and balance customer needs with business requirements.
• Experience with purchasing, purchase order management, supplier communication, order fulfillment, inventory, and/or logistics.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to identify root causes, develop solutions, and implement sustainable process improvements.
• Experience working with ERP (Sage Intacct preferred) and CRM (Salesforce preferred) systems; ability to understand system workflows, identify process gaps, and partner with internal and external resources to improve system utilization.
• Strong data orientation with a high level of attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and integrity.
• Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, manage multiple competing deadlines, and drive issues through resolution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with customers, suppliers, and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and demonstrated ability to influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Outlook, and Word.
• Ability to remain professional, composed, and solutions-oriented when managing customer escalations, supplier issues, and time-sensitive operational challenges.
• Demonstrated mindset of continuous improvement, accountability, and proactive problem solving.

About Us:

We have been in business for 100 years and are leaders in the Commercial Outdoor Décor industry. We distribute Christmas decorations, banners, and flags to municipalities, non-profits, and corporations throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. We work hard & play hard, take pride in the quality products we sell and the superior customer service that has made us a leader in our field. We offer a range of market-competitive total rewards that include merit increases, paid holidays, Paid Time Off, incentive bonus programs, medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) + match benefits. An Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.