Internal Sales & Customer Service Specialist

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in internal sales, preferably within the steel or manufacturing industry.

• Experience in managing existing customer accounts and developing new business opportunities.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing and new customers.

• Manage customer enquiries, quotations, orders and follow-ups from initial enquiry through to final delivery.

• Experience in dealing with production, logistics, finance and other internal departments to ensure seamless order fulfilment.

OPERATIONAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

• Manage the complete internal sales process from enquiry and quotation through to order, production, dispatch and delivery.

• Prepare and submit accurate production orders/job instructions to the production team in line with customer requirements.

• Liaise closely with Production, Logistics and Finance to ensure orders are processed and fulfilled accurately and timeously.

• Monitor orders throughout the process and proactively communicate progress, ETAs, delays or changes to customers and relevant internal stakeholders.

• Ensure all customer orders, specifications, quantities, pricing and delivery requirements are captured accurately.

• Maintain accurate records of sales activities, quotations, orders, customer interactions and follow-ups.

• Follow up on outstanding quotations and identify opportunities to convert quotations into sales orders.

• Assist with stock control by monitoring inventory levels, product availability and customer requirements.

• Source stock and non-stock items from approved suppliers where required.

• Liaise with Finance regarding customer accounts, credit limits, invoicing queries and payment-related issues where required.

• Proactively identify and resolve customer or order-related issues before they impact the customer.

• Ensure compliance with company policies, procedures, ISO 9001:2015 requirements and applicable industry standards.

• Ensure all administrative and system requirements are completed accurately and timeously.

• Identify opportunities to improve customer service, internal processes and order turnaround times.

• Support the sales team and management with sales reports, forecasts and customer information as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Matric (Grade 12) required

• Minimum 3–5 years’ internal sales experience, preferably within the steel or manufacturing industry.

BEHAVIOURAL SKILLS

High integrity Honest and trustworthy Customer focused Proactive and self-motivated Strong communication skills Relationship building Negotiation skills Problem solving and analytical ability Adaptability Confidence Emotional intelligence Persuasive skills

Results orientated Ability to work under pressure Team player Accountability and ownership Strong customer service and relationship management skills. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong attention to detail and accuracy. Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple customer requirements simultaneously. Strong organisational and time-management skills. Ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional team.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Computer literacy – MS Office

• Experience with ERP systems; Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) advantageous.

• Ability to interpret customer requirements and translate them into accurate production/order instructions.

• Ability to work with quotations, pricing, orders and customer specifications.

• Understanding of production, stock, logistics and delivery processes.

• Ability to accurately capture and maintain information on ERP and other internal systems.

PRIMARY FUNCTION OF THE POSITION

The position is responsible for managing customer requirements from enquiry and quotation through to production, dispatch and delivery, ensuring accurate order processing, proactive communication, and effective coordination between customers and internal teams.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• Enquiry response time and quotation turnaround time.

• Quotation follow-up and sales quotation-to-order conversion rate.

• Accurate and timeous submission of production orders.

• Order accuracy and effective order management from receipt through to delivery.

• Customer service, communication and response times.

• On-time and complete fulfilment of customer requirements.

• Customer retention and development of existing accounts.

• New business leads, opportunities and customer acquisition.

• Achievement of sales and tonnage targets.

• Upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

• Effective coordination with Production, Logistics and Finance.

• Accuracy of ERP/D365 transactions and customer information.

• Proactive identification and resolution of customer and operational issues.