Customer Service Associate

Join Our Community of Food People!

BASIC PURPOSE Provide contact and liaison between National Sales customers and the sales team and internal departments. Process incoming orders; receive, evaluate, and respond to written or telephoned customer inquiries in a timely manner. Work within established guidelines in order to achieve the objectives of the service agreement consistent with customer expectations, company policy and profit and quality requirements. Back up to Sales Coordinator roles.

This position has been segmented as hybrid meaning the work is a combination of approximately 90 percent remote/virtual and 10 percent onsite at distribution center offices located anywhere in the Central Region of the United States as follows: Bismarck ND, Grand Forks ND, Plymouth MN, Milwaukee WI, Chicago IL, Streator IL, Aurora IL, Iowa City IA, St Louis MO, Salem MO, Omaha NE, Grand Island NE, Kansas City KS, Denver CO, Oklahoma City OK, Dallas TX, Austin TX, Houston TX, Lubbock TX, Albuquerque NM within a 50 mile distance to the listed Distribution Offices. This role will most likely be in the office approximately 1 time per month or occasionally for training.

Work Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Friday and Saturday 8AM - 4:30 PM Central. Off Sunday and Wednesday

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Receive inbound calls and place outbound calls to customers in order to provide information about products and services, to take orders, or to obtain details of complaints. Keep records of customer interactions and transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, and comments, as well as actions taken. Resolve customers' service or billing complaints; check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems. Contact customers in order to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim results and any planned adjustments; refer unresolved customer complaints to designated departments for further action. Obtain and examine all relevant information in order to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes. Coordinate same-day deliveries and pickups for customers. Process pickup requests from customers and National Sales team. Respond to delivery/routing questions and issues from customers. Respond to product inquiries from customers. Share new or additional services or products with customers. Compare disputed merchandise with original requisitions and information from invoices, and prepare invoices for returned goods. Contact all customers affected by product recalls and withdrawals. Recommend improvements in products, shipping, service, or billing methods and procedures in order to prevent future problems.

This role adheres to a designated schedule, which includes set workdays, start and end times. RELATIONSHIPS Internal: Sales, Operations / Distribution / Support External: Customers

QUALIFICATIONS Education/Training: High School diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor's degree preferred. Related Experience: Minimum of three years experience in customer service call center environment required. Experience in food service distribution a plus. Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Excellent verbal communication skills and problem resolution ability required. Working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Outlook required. CRM / Phone Technology experience preferred.

This role will also receive overtime compensation.

Benefits for this role may include health insurance, pre-tax spending accounts, retirement benefits, paid time off, short-term and long-term disability, employee stock purchase plan, and life insurance. Compensation depends on relevant experience and/or education, specific skills, function, geographic location, and other factors as applicable by law (for example: state or local minimum wage thresholds). The expected base rate for this role is between $17 - $26.

***EOE Race/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/ Age/Genetic Information /Protected Veteran/Disability Status***