Customer Service and Support Lead

Customer Service Representative

T hruway Fasteners, Inc. is one of the leading distributors of industrial products, supplying hundreds of original equipment manufacturers in 40 states and 28 countries. We help customers increase efficiency, drive growth, and rapidly respond to unique business challenges and opportunities. Thruway utilizes custom technology applications and vast industry specific knowledge to develop unique and flexible product management solutions. Headquartered in North Tonawanda, NY, Thruway has six branch locations across New York, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Day-to-day go to customer service person for our KEY, Target and KEY-Sub customers. This individual is a generalist that can perform all the duties of managing their assigned customers: quoting, application questions, follow-up, expediting, sales orders, and sales returns. This position is cross-functional and can back up other sales associates and leads. Adept at handling all customer needs including problem solving, time management skills, processing orders, and capable of closing the sale.

Must be able to read customers, stay calm, handle surprises, know when to elevate a challenge to a supervisor, and work under pressure.

Skilled at cultivating and maintain strong relationships with customers. Solving customer needs, complaints and problems positively, quickly, proficiently and professionally. Customers view this person as their "trusted advisor." Proficient at "contract review." Proficiently process sales orders via Thruway ERP system (Net Suite). Handles a larger amount of sales activity than a Customer Service and Support Associate. Proficiently prepares quotes for customers (always professional with proper documentation).

Understands the concept of landed cost and can price quotes with appropriate gross margin to remain competitive and maintain profitability. Know when to bring unprofitable or non-competitive pricing to Customer Service and Support Manager or GM for review. Understand benchmarks to make RFQ's competitive to the customer. Quote repeat-buy products with primary and secondary vendors through phone calls, email or web portals.

Identify and proficiently qualify sales opportunities. Always follow-up on quotes and try to find out why Thruway may have missed an opportunity. Proficient at reading prints, specifications, and contracts. Understand and communicate customers' needs and requirements to internal departments in a professional and efficient manner (Warehouse, Quality, Outside Sales, Sourcing, Procurement, Management, etc.). Travel to customer locations for sales meetings, Q 's or other customer events.

Creates/manages price workbooks and sales sheets for customers within Thruway ERP. Perform function of releasing material off blanket orders to meet customer requirements. Proficient product knowledge facilitates getting the customer the right product for their application at the best price. Assists in training Customer Service and Support Associates and answering daily questions with good judgement. Assist Operations Manager in general operational duties as needed.

Effectively manage delivery dates through Net Suite and customer web portals. Negotiate with customers as required. Maintain customer Project Quality Plans (PQP's) for all assigned accounts. Always process sales order returns using correct reason codes. Continually review customer usage vs. inventory on-hand and on-order to meet promise dates. Works with SCM Department to expedite existing purchase orders. Always inputs clean and correct data into company databases.

Take every opportunity to clean up bad data to make all other departments more efficient. Read, follow, and understand all necessary work instructions and procedures of Thruway's quality management system. Foster company cultural belief that quality is every employee's responsibility. Strives to meet Thruway's published performance metrics for the organization including but not limited to: inventory turns, inventory on hand, OTP, and PPM.

This individual must possess a positive attitude and excellent communication skills that will allow for constant interaction with a cross section of Thruway staff and functions from various departments. Employees must possess:
Excellent listening skills. Excellent reading comprehension skills. Attention to detail and accuracy. Be a great team player that proactively helps others as needed.

Self-starter with outgoing personality, positive attitude, and great…