Customer Account Representative UK

Main Aspect of Job

Responsible for generating and encouraging business and proactively providing exceptional levels of service and support to current and prospective customers, RSMs and TSMs in specified countries.  This will involve significant liaison and the demonstration of commercial awareness and sound product and technical knowledge.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Individual responsibility for specific accounts, supporting other team members’ accounts as required, taking a proactive and professional approach to dealing with current and prospective customers in order to maximise business potential and identify common stock-outs to encourage the partners to review and improve their stock-holding.

2. Taking direct responsibility for current and prospective customers in countries without an RSM or where deemed appropriate (ie House Accounts or temporary gaps) where applicable. This includes review of Pipeline/Best Bets, identifying whether Project Support Orders (PSOs) are required, following up on price requests and proactive contact with the partners in the designated geography.  Travel as appropriate for managing accounts within the region. 

3. Develop and maintain strong and effective business relationships with RSMs and TSMs and current and prospective customers by providing remote support through telephone and written (including electronic) communication.  Travel may be required and will be determined based on business needs. 

4. Apply excellent knowledge and understanding of the sales channel in order to anticipate the needs of the channel and RSMs and TSMs. 

5. Enter and maintain customers’ orders efficiently with 100% accuracy and proactively communicate status both internally and to customers.  This will involve liaising with several departments and investigating ways to expedite items, with the ability to judge when lines need to be escalated to Supervisor.

6. Upselling and cross-selling – Offering alternatives, bulk packs, higher performing products, complementary items (including on SPRS) to increase order value and customer satisfaction. Liaising between technical and channel partner to develop specific BOMs for channel driven opportunities.

7. Liaise with customers to understand requirements relating to Special Price Requests (SPRs), taking ownership, cross-selling and upselling where applicable and involving RSMs, TSMs and TSG as appropriate, processing for approval and entering quotes in a timely manner.

8. Framework agreements: proactively contacting distribution partners if they have not recently placed any framework orders. 

9. Demonstrate a high degree of commercial awareness by identifying opportunities to keep SPRs within TSM/GRM level or aligned with the rest of the SPR; review freight exceptions and sample requests to reduce excessive costs to the business.

10. Liaise with Demand Analyst in order to highlight project support order requirements to ensure that we are able to satisfy customer demand.

11. Work closely with Logistics to ensure that all orders and enquiries are dealt with accurately and efficiently, taking full account of commercial, legal and customer requirements.

12. Responsibility for receiving, logging and following up Customer Complaints through the Continuous Improvement process in order to implement positive changes in the business.

13. Update and maintain accurate filing of customer accounts, including all relevant paperwork.

14. Work with the Customer Service Supervisor to formulate personal and team objectives in order to promote personal and departmental growth towards the improvement of customer service efficiency.

     

     

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

1. Educated to ‘A’ Level standard or equivalent.

• Previous experience in a customer service role, preferably international.

• Fluency in written and spoken English (with additional European language preferred).

Preferred

• Experience of Oracle ERP.

• Relevant Degree in business/commerce.

Skills

• Proven ability to develop and maintain relationships.

• Highly developed influencing skills.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills with excellent attention to detail.

• Excellent organisational and follow-up skills.

• Demonstrated ability to utilise PC and other tools to accomplish activities.

Behaviours

• High degree of proactivity and professionalism.

• Anticipating and responding rapidly to customer needs.

• Ability to express sound commercial judgment.

• Team player within both the immediate team and the wider business arena.

• Able to travel as required in the role.