Inside Sales & Customer Service Representative

Inside Sales & Customer Service Representative

S&L Food Sales is a Chico-based wholesale food distributor serving independent restaurants, grocers, convenience stores, hotels, casinos, and other foodservice operators throughout Northern California. Since 1976, we have built our reputation on dependable service, strong local relationships, and practical solutions that help customers succeed.

The Inside Sales & Customer Service Representative is often the voice of S&L to our customers. This role combines responsive service with proactive sales support. Working closely with Outside Sales Representatives, Purchasing, and the Sales Manager, the representative helps customers place orders, source products, resolve issues, and identify opportunities for growth.

Department: Sales & Marketing

Compensation: $23HR PT / MON-FRI 9AM-3PM

Travel: Occasional; arranged in advance

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver best-in-class service to every S&L customer.
• Assist customers with order entry, product sourcing, pricing questions, and resolution of complaints or service issues.
• Use sales and ordering data to identify at-risk business, recapture lost sales, and uncover growth opportunities.
• Promote relevant products through weekly ad specials, monthly promotions, and thoughtful upselling.
• Coordinate with Purchasing to ensure special-order products are sourced and delivered accurately and on time.
• Maintain customer standard-order files and provide accurate, timely order forms.
• Partner with Outside Sales Representatives to strengthen customer relationships and expand product lines.
• Develop and maintain a working knowledge of S&L products, services, programs, and internal systems.
• Participate in occasional sales ride-along, sales meetings, and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Core Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a genuine commitment to customer service.
• Ability to manage a large book of business while staying organized, retaining details, and shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Sound judgment, follow-through, and the ability to collaborate across departments.
• Math proficiency at a high school algebra level, including the ability to help customers evaluate unit pricing and suggested retail pricing.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, with practical proficiency in Excel and Outlook.
• Prior inside sales, customer service, food distribution, or related experience is helpful, but not required.

The S&L Way:

Smart. Local. Fresh. Solutions. These four words describe how we think, how we serve, and how we build relationships.

Smart:

Prepare, think strategically, and keep learning.

Local:

Know our customers, markets, and communities.

Fresh:

Bring new value and stay open to better approaches.

Solutions:

Understand challenges and help people move forward.