Sales Support Manager

Position Summary

The Sales Support Manager, supports and improves all aspects of the Ware Group customer experience, ensuring satisfaction and loyalty throughout the customer lifecycle.  The Sales Support Manager plays a pivotal role assisting in alignment of company sales strategies with customer service excellence.  The position serves as a bridge between Johnstone Supply-The Ware Group’s sales objectives and the customer experience while achieving company initiatives without compromising service quality.  This includes monitoring goals and standards, implementing strategies and policies, process improvement, training and coaching team members across the organization, evaluating promotional performance, coordinating with other departments, reporting data and trends, and ensuring compliance.  Directly manages the company’s customer call outreach center and efforts. Position reports to the Director of Sales.

Essential Job Function 

1. Assists in developing and implementing strategies to improve customer interactions across multiple touchpoints and channels
2. Analyzes customer feedback, surveys, and data to identify customer pain points and different ways to improve the customer experience and create a positive experience
3. Collaborates with cross-functional teams, such as marketing, sales, product support, pricing support, field regional sales and field management teams, to align customer experience efforts with business goals and objectives. Acts as sales partner to Regional Managers with focus on inside sales support and initiatives.
4. Designs, implements, and trains customer service standards and inside sales guidelines to ensure consistent and exceptional service delivery for building customer relations.
5. Partnering with Regional, Market, and Branch Managers, trains and educates branch personnel on customer-centric approaches and best practices to foster a customer-focused culture throughout the organization. Provides consistent training, processes, support and coaching to branch inside sales and customer service personnel.
6. Hires, supervises, trains, develops, and provides direction to assigned personnel. Directly manages Call Center personnel and provides ongoing oversight, direction, and support.
7. Manages the company’s Customer Call Center and actively engages in proactive outgoing customer communications.
8. Monitors, measures, and reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty, providing regular reports and insights to management.
9. Assists with implementation levels through the Ware Group’s customer relationship management database.
10. Assists in the execution of marketing and promotional campaigns.
11. Tracks activities and relevant information through company software and other tools and provides regular reporting and progress on assigned tasks
12. Proactively responds to evolving customer needs, industry trends, and shifting business dynamics.
13. Maintains knowledge of products and services to support and communicate the company’s value proposition.
14. Builds and maintains relationships with all levels of leadership and support teams to facilitate effective and supportive business interactions.
15. Performs other duties as assigned. The Ware Group, LLC dba Johnstone Supply believes that each employee’s contribution should not be limited to the assigned responsibilities.  Therefore, it is our expectation that each employee will offer his/her services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.

Internal Relationships 

Requires frequent contact and communication across the organization, interfacing and conferring regularly with a broad audience including branch management, inside sales personnel, Account Managers, and Branch Support Personnel.

 External Relationships 

Interacts and communicates with customers across branch locations and market areas. 

Education, Work Experience & Specialized Skills or Knowledge

• A High School or general education degree (G.E.D.) required with bachelor’s degree in business administration, communications, or related field preferred.
• Certifications in customer experience management, such as Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP/CCEP/CCSP), are advantageous to show commitment to the field and learning.
• Minimum of eight years in either internal or external sales in a retail or wholesale environment.
• Minimum of three years managing a customer service or sales team with direct reports. Prior experience managing a call center environment a plus.
• Experience in HVACR helpful but not required.
• Familiarity with project management, mapping, principles and practices
• Proficiency with PC applications required. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and company sales and ERP systems.  Prior experience with using CRM and Eclipse platforms preferred.  Expert knowledge in spreadsheet creation and use with data base maintenance skills and experience.
• Ability to train and educate both employees and customers.
• Experience managing employees and/or complex projects with direct and indirect supervision.
• Exemplary communication skills (written and verbal) with ability to effectively present to a varied audience. Ability to communicate proficiently in English in all formats. Bilingual in Spanish a plus.
• Analytical skills for analyzing customer data, feedback, and metrics to derive meaningful insights and make data-driven decisions to enhance the customer experience.
• Customer service centered approach placing the customer at the center of decision-making assisting with implementation of the Ware Group customer experience strategy.
• Leadership abilities to drive customer-centric initiatives and influencing positive change within the organization.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and balance multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and within a team-oriented environment. 

Physical Environment / Working Conditions

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical:  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods of time.  Hand and finger coordination essential throughout workday, hearing and speaking ability key to this position. Visual acuity required for reading, producing reports, or doing computer work for extended periods of time. The employee is required to reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, or crouch; and lift to 20 pounds.  Auditory acuteness required to perform heavy volume of telephone and personal contacts on an individual, or group meeting level. 

Store or Office Environment: Typical office environment working conditions at Branch Support and Branch office meetings and periodic on-site visits to individual store and warehouse operations that require standing, walking and sitting for prolonged periods of time. Most work is performed with telephone equipment, personal computer, fax, printer, copier, and at times RF scanner.  Standard working conditions include conditioned air (heated/cooled) for most of the day.  Brief periods in un-conditioned air may be required from time to time.  Moderate volume of personal business travel (air or driving) of up to 20% on the local, state and national level.

Why the Ware Group?

• Competitive Pay
• Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, and Vision
• 401K with company match
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• EAP Program
• Employee Wellness Program
• Employee Referral Program
• Warehouse Safety Reward Program

We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. If applying for positions in the U.S., must be eligible to work in the U.S. without need for employer sponsored visa (work permit).