Customer Service Manager

Customer Service Manager

Most customer service leadership jobs are really about babysitting inboxes and tracking tickets. This one is about building a team that customers trust and internal teams rely on.

You’ll lead a small group responsible for quotes, order entry, customer communication, returns, and escalations — but the real job is creating a faster, more accountable customer experience across the business. You’ll work closely with sales, purchasing, warehouse operations, and accounting to keep orders moving and customers informed.

This role is for someone who likes solving problems, improving processes, coaching people, and stepping in when things get messy.

What You’ll Own

• Lead, coach, and develop a customer service team
• Create structure, accountability, and clear expectations
• Improve processes that help the team move faster and reduce errors
• Track performance metrics like response times, order accuracy, backlog, and on-time delivery
• Handle escalated customer issues including shipping problems, pricing disputes, and order delays
• Oversee order flow including returns, credits, RMAs, and backorders
• Partner with sales, purchasing, warehouse, and accounting teams to keep customers updated and orders moving
• Maintain accurate ERP and CRM data
• Help build SOPs and operational consistency across the department
• Conduct performance reviews, manage schedules, and support hiring/training efforts
• Act as the go-to resource for complex customer situations and internal order-entry questions

What Success Looks Like

• Customers get answers quickly and accurately
• Orders move through the system with fewer issues and delays
• The team operates with urgency, accountability, and consistency
• Internal departments trust your team to execute
• Problems get solved before they become bigger problems

What You Bring

• Experience leading or mentoring a customer service or order management team
• Background in distribution, manufacturing, industrial products, or wholesale environments
• Strong understanding of order flow and customer communication
• Comfort working inside ERP systems like Epicor, NetSuite, SAP, Prophet 21, or similar platforms
• Ability to balance coaching with being hands-on when needed
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Confidence handling difficult customer conversations professionally and calmly
• Someone who naturally improves processes instead of just working around them

The Environment

This is an operational business. Things move quickly. Priorities change. Customers need answers. The right person will enjoy being in the middle of the action and helping create structure without slowing the business down.

Industrial distribution experience is helpful, but not required.