Customer Service Manager, Longleaf Services, Inc.
Reports to: Senior Operations Manager
Coordinates with: Credit, Logistics, and Accounting Departments
General Responsibilities
Longleaf Services, Inc., a not-for-profit affiliate of the University of North Carolina Press, is seeking a full-time Customer Service Manager to support the growth of business. Longleaf is a full-service fulfillment company that manages customer service, takes, and processes orders, manages credit and collections, third party warehousing, inventory management, and royalty processing for a consortium of 27 university presses. The Customer Service Manager oversees the daily operations of the Customer Service department, ensuring exceptional customer satisfaction while managing team performance and workflow. This role requires strong leadership and analytical skills, including a solid financial and accounting background to support billing processes, resolve credit-related concerns, and ensure accurate reporting. The Manager also collaborates with other departments to align customer service processes with company objectives. The position is based in Chapel Hill, NC.
Specific Responsibilities
- Team Leadership and Management:
- Supervise, prioritize, and monitor the daily workload of the Customer Service team, ensuring timely and courteous responses to customer inquiries and orders.
- Work closely with the Assistant Customer Service Manager to ensure the smooth management of day-to-day operations, including workload distribution, adherence to service standards, and completion of productivity reports.
- Collaborate with the Assistant Customer Service Manager to analyze productivity data, identify trends, and implement strategies for continuous improvement in team performance.
- Train and mentor new and existing team members on customer service processes, including order entry, problem resolution, and system use.
- Provide leadership and support for resolving escalated customer issues and difficult cases, coordinating with the Assistant Customer Service Manager as needed to ensure effective resolution.
- Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide constructive feedback to staff, incorporating insights from operational data and reports.
- Operational Excellence:
- Oversee order processing, ensuring compliance with credit policies by coordinating with the Credit department for orders on credit hold or involving bad debt.
- Investigate and resolve issues related to order fulfillment, billing discrepancies, and logistics.
- Maintain knowledge of and periodically perform all key manager duties, including running and reviewing month-end reports, interacting with client publishers, and implementing process improvements.
- Financial/Accounting Oversight:
- Collaborate with the Accounting and Credit departments to monitor and process special billings.
- Ensure accuracy in customer invoices and payments while addressing any discrepancies.
- Generate and analyze financial reports to process special sales. (i.e. exhibits, conferences, and office sales)
- Customer Interaction and Problem-Solving:
- Serve as the primary point of contact for escalated customer concerns.
- Provide accurate product and service information to customers.
- Identify, research, and resolve complex customer issues, following up on unresolved inquiries to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Strategic Collaboration and Special Projects:
- Support senior management in implementing new initiatives and projects to enhance customer service operations.
- Partner with Logistics, Credit, and Accounting departments to ensure streamlined communication and operations.
Qualifications/Skills
- Strong leadership and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to lead and develop a high-performing team.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word and Excel), with the ability to learn and adapt to new systems quickly.
- Exceptional attention to detail, organizational skills, and multitasking ability.
- Financial and accounting proficiency, including experience with billing processes, credit policies, and data analysis.
Education and Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, preferably in Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
- Three or more years of customer service or call center management experience.
- Prior experience overseeing and directing the work of others, with demonstrated success in a leadership role.
- Financial and/or accounting experience is strongly preferred.
Interested candidates should email their resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to: hr@longleafservices.org.