Customer Service Associate

System One - Piscataway, NJ

Full-time - Entry Level

Piscataway, NJ

Administrative and Support Services

About the position

The Customer Service position at System One involves providing comprehensive order management support to customers, ensuring that all aspects of the order process are handled efficiently and effectively. This includes order entry, allocation of materials to orders, processing returns, resolving invoice disputes, and making necessary credit adjustments using various information systems. The role requires a proactive approach to customer complaints, necessitating thorough investigation and resolution, often in collaboration with cross-functional teams within the organization to ensure that problems are addressed appropriately. In this role, you will partner with operations colleagues both at the company and customer sites to coordinate shipments and manage related transactions. You will be responsible for keeping customers informed about order status, availability, pricing, and delivery commitments, working closely with logistics and commercial management to ensure timely and accurate deliveries. Proactive communication is key, as you will regularly review open order reports to identify and communicate any supply or delivery issues to assigned customers. Additionally, you will handle customer inquiries, maintain updated account notes and procedures, and ensure that customer contact information is current in the MakeScents system. You will also be tasked with properly acknowledging and following up on customer logistics and quality complaints, ensuring that large or complex customer requirements are met with special handling regarding product specifications and regulatory compliance. Accessing customer databases to retrieve purchase orders and ensuring proper notifications regarding order management and billing documents will also be part of your responsibilities. The position requires you to represent Account Management in external meetings with customers, communicate pricing information, and resolve any disputes in collaboration with credit and accounts receivable teams. You will also be responsible for processing customer orders for a diverse customer base, maintaining ongoing relationships with customers and sales staff, and providing all requested documentation such as Certificates of Analysis (C of A), Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and other regulatory documents. Compiling and maintaining standard operating procedures and reports for assigned accounts will be necessary, along with performing other related duties as required in the Customer Service Department.

Responsibilities

• Provide order management support for customers, including order entry, allocation of material to orders, returns, invoice disputes and credit adjustments utilizing information systems.
• Process customer complaints including the investigation and the resolution.
• Partner with operations colleagues (at company and customer sites) to arrange for, and follow through, on all shipments and related transactions.
• Coordinate order status, availability (pricing, and delivery to customers). Works with Logistics and, and commercial management to achieve accurate and timely delivery commitments.
• Proactively communicates supply/delivery issues to assigned customers via daily review of open order reports.
• Respond to customers' inquiries. Responsible for maintaining accounts with updated notes and procedures; also responsible for updating and maintaining contact information in MakeScents, relating to customer and customer/material content.
• Properly acknowledge, record, and follow-up on customer logistics and quality complaints into designated database.
• Ensure special handling of large to complex customer's requirements with regards to product specifications, special packaging, regulatory compliance, etc.
• Access customer databases (portals) to retrieve purchase orders; ensure proper notifications to customers in regard of order management and billing documents.
• Communicate customer expectations by interfacing with various Dept./areas.
• Handles inquiries in Customer Service Group mailbox as well as voice mail system for all accounts.
• Works with credit and A/R to resolve customer disputes.
• Represent Account Management and interface externally with customers in meetings.
• Communicate pricing information to customers as needed.
• Identify sales orders assigned and incomplete or block status and try to resolve and/or escalate sales orders.
• Follow up with Sales Representatives and other internal leads to maintain feedback to ensure focused consistent service to customers.
• Process customer orders for diverse customer base, which have multi-level organizations while proactively maintaining ongoing relationships with customer and sales staff.
• Provide customers with all requested documents including C of A, MSDS, COFA, specs, or any other regulatory or documentation requests as needed.
• Act as a liaison between customers and internal departments on special requests.
• Compile and maintain SOP/reports for assigned accounts, as needed.
• Perform other related duties as required in the Customer Service Department.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to synthesize and identify priorities/specific issues with customers.
• Demonstrated ability to direct issues to correct internal stakeholder (i.e. QC, marketing team, sales, Production, purchasing, etc.).
• Knowledge in sales and distribution (SD) module such as: sales order and delivery functions, invoicing, credits/debits and return goods processes.
• Familiar with interactions with production planning, material management, inventory management and logistics (i.e., freight, pallet quantities).
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills including Windows-based applications.
• Excellent Organizational skills.
• Detail oriented including follow up, quality focused, problem solving skills, conflict resolution experience.
• Analytical, results and solution oriented, as well as customer and team focused.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where 'multitasking' is a must.
• Independent Worker. Works well under pressure & good at meeting deadlines.
• Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor Degree plus 1 year of comparable business experience preferred, or 4 years experience in Customer Care/Sales/Logistics related function.
• Understanding of plant/warehouse systems and procedures for shipping, accounting, etc.
• Understanding of Logistics/Operations and impact to fulfilling customer orders.

Benefits

• Health and welfare benefits coverage options, including medical, dental, vision, spending accounts, life insurance, voluntary plans, and participation in a 401(k) plan.