The Opportunity:
We have an opportunity at our North Park North America Home Office for a Customer Account Specialist supporting our Global Paper group. The Customer Account Specialist communicates with customers, sales, transportation, mills, technical associates, claims, billing and credit departments. The position provides account management and maintains master file data, handles trials, load optimization, delivery tracking, and creating/maintaining reports for customers.
Responsibilities:
- Responsible for basic product knowledge and corresponding mill standards to be able to make some determinations of how to match with the customer's requirements and business needs
- Maintain open and direct communication with customers to ensure an understanding of their needs and requirements
- Serve as point of contact for customers on any requests they may have. The solutions will require interfacing with other functions within WestRock.
- Responsible for managing order fulfillment strategy lower stratified customer accounts.
- This role will be responsible for problem solving order fulfillment solutions for majority of orders due to operational and supply chain constraints.
- Customer Account Specialist will have discretion and autonomy to interface with customer, planning and logistics driving decisions to meet customer requirements without manager approval.
- Identify issues that may inhibit customer satisfaction
- Process orders received from customers and sales team on a timely basis, using various technology applications
- Transportation mode planning for excess freight reduction
- Manage customer specific inventory to minimize aged inventory
- Provide prompt communication to the customer and sales rep regarding existing challenges in meeting requested ship dates
- Track orders and initiate changes per customer or sales requests to ensure on-time delivery
- Analyze inventory levels and make decisions to fill orders from inventory to best improve delivery time and manage to the lowest inventory levels.
- Act as a liaison between customers, Production Planning and logistics throughout the order-to-cash cycle
- Proactively manage exceptions and be able to use discretion and influence to mitigate cost to serve
- Visiting customer to develop relationships and become educated on the needs of their business
- Work both independently and with the business unit team to manage customer needs
- Participate in a collaborative, cross-functional Sales Planning process; measuring and developing actionable improvement plans for key performance metrics
- Provide short term plan adjustments as necessary in response to unexpected events
- Develop and maintain a relationship with customers to ensure product availability and zero stock-outs of critical SKU's
- Track and reconcile weekly/monthly metrics versus established targets
- Utilize data from various sources for optimal decision making
- Advise on and implement process improvements
Metrics include: On-Time Shipment, Customer Satisfaction, Inventory Age & Turns, Order Accuracy, Load Optimization and Excess Freight Reduction.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in one of the following disciplines: business, supply chain or 2-5 years customer service experience
- Strong problem solving and verbal skills with ability to communicate with all levels including Executive and Senior management.
- High level proficiency in MS Office
- Ability to work with cross functional team partners to resolve issues to maintain customer satisfaction
- Work proactively to complete all tasks timely, accurately, and completely
- Experience to anticipate customer requirements and integrate requirements into supply chain practices; strong customer focus