Customer Service Manager, UKIMEA

Location: Birmingham

Position Summary:

The Customer Service Manager, UKIMEA is responsible for delivering high-quality customer service and providing daily support to the Customer Service team across UKIMEA, while working closely with the sales regions, supply chain and accounting teams to provide daily support on projects across all sectors. Managing all escalations from functional Team Leaders across the business.

Lead and guide the continuous improvement of the service provided, while evaluating and implementing the company's end-to-end procedures. Challenging the status quo on processes and services to achieve best in industry performance and customer satisfaction. Striving for excellence and continually assessing and driving for improvements.

This role will also be direct line manager to our Business Systems Specialist.

This role reports to the General Manager & Vice President for the DACH & UKIMEA region

Essential Duties:

• Act as a trusted business partner for the Head of Sales UKI and Business Manager Middle East, to ensure the customer journey is seamless, with a service that enhances business relations
• Act as a leader for the back-office function in Birmingham, striving to create a great place to work and a community where colleagues feel trust and pride in their work, a sense of purpose, positive relationships with colleagues and a respectful and supportive culture
• Lead the Business Systems Specialist to ensure they provide expert systems training to all colleagues and also help drive and implement innovation to the benefit of our customers and the business
• Continual hands-on coaching for team members, ensuring all colleagues strive for excellence in delivering both a proactive and reactive, efficient, welcoming and accurate service for our customers across the UKIMEA region; Onboarding/training new colleagues within the department
• Consistently demonstrate the verbal and written standards and problem-solving techniques required to work cross functionally with multinational teams (local sales, logistics, supply chain, inventory management, marketing, R&D, accounting, control, quality department, etc.) and provide excellent service for customers
• Act as a change champion by supporting colleagues and ensuring processes are relevant and up to date, course correcting when required
• Develop and provide KPI data to the regional sales teams, communicating performance-based metrics clearly and setting targets for continuous improvement
• In alignment with sales strategy, develop connections with our key buying customers, proactively attending meetings with customers and the relevant Account Manager to create trust and better understanding of our Interface service offer.
• Have oversight and control of the order book ensuring accuracy at all times for the benefit of smooth customer experience as well as effective supply chain management and financial forecasting
• Co-ordinate escalations across the region to ensure customer issues are resolved and problem solve to ensure where possible the same issues do not arise again.
• Manage enquiries, including clarification of delivery date and technical feasibility; Quotation in CRM in coordination with the appropriate Area Sales Manager
• Manage order processing in JDE and SAP (order acceptance, order entry, pricing, timeliness, delivery date, shipping terms, payment terms, etc.)
• Coordinate credit notes. and debit, claims, and returns
• Provide hands-on support in case of illness or absences of team members
• Key member of the Tier 2 management team representing the customer experience and business systems department

Scale & Scope of role:

Located in Birmingham with infrequent travel required to meet with customers in UK

Regional scope across UKIMEA

Approximately 11 direct reports

Skills and Experience:

• In-depth experience of successfully leading customer service teams with a hands-on approach, in a business to business environment. Strong preference for experience within supply chain/manufacturing organisations.
• Some experience of leading other commercial back-office support teams
• Experience of international import/export (preferable)
• A strong coach who has experience of demonstrating excellence in customer service and guiding teams to required standards
• Experience in working and collaborating across multiple functions and cultures in a fast-paced and complex business environment
• Thorough understanding and experience with a major CRM system
• Proven track record of being process driven and analytical with a fire fighter mentality. A person that can make things happen, work through complexity and make tough calls
• Ability to connect with people and develop positive trusted relations across the business and a professional approach to team and customer relationships
• Resilient under pressure
• Proficiency across the full MS Office Suite with aptitude to learn new tools as required
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to prioritize

Educational Requirements:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Business Administration or a related field