Customer Service Lead

Position Title: Customer Service Lead

Position Summary

Partnering with Sales and Operations, the Customer Care Lead will provide best-in-class customer support, ensuring a seamless customer experience with a focus on proactive customer communication and ‘white glove’ service to delight our customers. Managing key customer accounts, they will work closely with a team of Customer Service Representatives (CSRs). Additionally, they are responsible for ensuring such processes as entry of purchase orders, securing advance purchase commitments, monitoring of deliveries and inventories, and providing updates on any changes in timelines. They will proactively identify and act on customer behavior patterns (e.g., delayed orders, inactivity) to reduce order abandonment and improve retention. The role also includes attention and responses to customers within service level agreements (SLAs).

Support the Customer Care Manager with standardizing processes throughout the region/Business Unit and build the necessary cross-functional bridges. The role also requires a focus on continuous improvement to support process change, introduction and implementation. Role acts as primary escalation point for assigned accounts.

Position Scope

This role supports customer care activities for assigned accounts and serves as a key link between customers, Sales, Operations, and Customer Service Representatives. The Customer Service Lead helps ensure timely order management, proactive customer communication, SLA achievement, and consistent execution of regional or business unit customer service processes. The role also supports process improvement, issue resolution, and customer retention through strong cross-functional partnership.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Prepare and monitor management indicators for respective Account Align Team (AAT) and customer base.

• Align Customer Service Strategy with AAT Strategy. Proactively communicate with customers and maintain strong communication channels internally and externally.

• Partner with Customer Service Representatives (CSRs)to support achievement of SLA‘s.

• Proactively engage with customers to secure future purchase orders, ensuring timely product availability and providing updates on any changes in inventory or delivery timelines.

• Monitor and identify customer behavior patterns (e.g. delayed orders, inactivity) to communicate actionable insights to reduce order abandonment and improve customer retention.

• Identify gaps in customer service processes and partner with various teams to implement processes to resolve.

• Propose action plans based on customer satisfaction survey results and partner with leadership and the team in plan execution.Establish self as the customer care subject matter expert for the assigned AAT, being a resource to the business and customer. Team members.

• Lead, organize and assist with development of the Customer Service Representatives.

• Proactively partner with AAT leadership to ensure best in class customer satisfaction.

• Ensure communication of AAT strategy is conveyed to CSRs.

• Manage order entry, order tracking and order allocation, for assigned accounts, ensuring no delays, partial orders or errors.

• Initiate specific customer open order reports to provide customer order status for defined accounts.

Note: The duties listed above are not all inclusive and may be subject to periodic updating or revision.

Education & Experience

Desired Background: 

• 3 years of experience in Inside Sales, Sales, or Customer Service/Customer Servic Lead role.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain or Engineering or a related field required

• Previous leadership experience required.

Knowledge, Skills, & Talents

More specifically, we would seek the following attributes and competencies for the position:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Strong critical thinking skills, understanding when escalation is necessary.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical reasoning skills.

• Ability to work under pressure and successfully handle multiple priorities.

• Leader in promoting an engaging work environment.

• Utilizes data (KPIs) to drive business results.

• Experience with international team.

• Familiarity with customer portals.

• Experience with using ERP/MRP systems.

• Familiar with CRM framework to understand case management-Ensure data integrity and accurate record keeping.

Pay

The estimated base pay range for this position is: $62,000 - $90,000 annually.  Actual pay will be determined based on education, certifications, experience, qualifications, skills and geographic location.  This position is eligible to participate in a short-term incentive program.

Benefits

Vantage offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, including:

• Medical, HSA, dental, vision

• FSA (limited purpose, dependent care, and commuter/parking)

• Life and AD&D insurance

• Accident, hospital indemnity and critical illness insurance

• Short- and long-term disability

• EAP, identity theft protection

• Paid time off, Parental Leave

• 401(k) with company match

Equal Employment Opportunity

Vantage is an equal opportunity employer.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category. 

About Vantage

Vantage provides natural solutions to our customers’ technical performance and marketing needs through a unique combination of chemistry, application expertise and service. Underpinned by our broad portfolio of formulations, ingredients and actives that are built on a backbone of sustainable oils, fats and their derivatives, Vantage targets selected markets and applications including personal care, food, surface treatment, agriculture, pharma, and consumer and industrial performance. Vantage is headquartered in Deerfield, IL., operates in 11 countries worldwide and employs more than 1,000 talented professionals focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences with every interaction.

We are a dynamic people-centered organization where you’ll be part of a collaborative global team. Embracing our cultural diversity, we learn from each other to constantly improve, adapt and iterate. We value the voices and talents of our colleagues, empowering them to drive their unique ideas to completion. We’re convinced that exceptionally motivated employees produce outstanding results, and we celebrate them by fostering a culture of recognition, development, learning, excellence and shared achievement. Most importantly, we know you’re going to like it here.  For more information visit: vantagegrp.com or LinkedIn/vantage.