Customer Service Manager

HERFF JONES, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY - THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN CELEBRATING STUDENT MILESTONES For over 100 years, Herff Jones is the leading provider of graduation, class rings and jewelry, yearbooks, as well as motivation and recognition programs designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. Focused on building long-term relationships through a nationwide network of over 2,000 employees and sales partners, the professionals at Herff Jones have been helping elevate the student experience throughout the lifelong journey of education. HERFF JONES, CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER- INDIANAPOLIS, IN LOCATION: Indianapolis, IN YOUR OPPORTUNITY: The Herff Jones Customer Service team is looking for a Customer Service Manager to join our team in Indianapolis, IN. This is a full-time, exempt position with benefit eligibility including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k), paid time off, and additional voluntary benefits. Typical working hours are Monday through Friday 8am – 5:00pm. Saturday or Sunday hours may be needed or required during peak season. HERE’S HOW YOU’LL MAKE AN IMPACT: The Customer Service Manager leads the Customer Service Department, focused on supporting our Independent Sales Partners (ISPs), high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions in our High School and College Announcement business. In this role, you will make a difference by providing direction and leadership to the High School and College Announcement Customer Service Team. This team is pivotal in managing our important customer relationships. Working with the Vice President of Customer Service and the Customer Service Team, you will drive toward a consistent, accurate and timely customer service experience to our customers. WHAT WE WANT YOU TO ACCOMPLISH: First 30 Days: Become familiar with team members, current team structure, and critical processes performed by each team member. Understand the high-level flow of products and processes in the fine paper customer service department along with the cyclical calendar. Be in complete learning mode gaining knowledge from job aids and SOP of the diploma business (standard operating procedures). Engage with the Scholastic Personalized Announcements (SPA) program team with a view to taking over Customer Service leadership of this project from the outgoing CS manager. Assist with rollout of ticketing system Zendesk to the team, keeping in mind that the team has not previously used a ticketing system to manage their workflow. First 60 days: Work directly with the Vice President of Customer Service and the Customer Service Managers to understand the key sales partners and schools the department supports. Advise VP Customer Service as to realigning team’s organizational structure. Deep dive into process for managing contracts & ensure this process is fully documented. Begin working with Training & QA manager to ensure critical processes are adequately documented to facilitate smooth onboarding of new and seasonal team members. First 90 days: Establish strong relationships with ISPs/ customers; begin to anticipate their needs. Demonstrate ability to navigate ERP system (Oracle) and other systems/processes to effectively process orders and meet or exceed customer need dates. Create best practices, a winning team environment, and document operations to lead the team. WHAT YOU’LL DO ON A DAILY BASIS: Understand the demands of the team and who they support. Drive team to be proactive in contacting ISPs, keeping them informed of account changes including communicating throughout the entire order cycle including readiness to order, status of order and confirmation of order details through follow-up on shipping and delivery information. Carry out successful coordination of unit volume of an assigned territory between the Customer, the Sales Partners and Production Personnel. This includes all aspects of account management from receipt of order to final delivery. Maintain positive and professional communication and working relationship with Schools, Students (customers), ISPs and all Personnel. This includes being responsive and doing a quick turnaround on questions or concerns from the customers, ISPs, and internal personnel. As the senior leader of the department, you will manage the escalation path to resolve any disappointment, concern, or praise for your team members. Support the implementation of new customer engagement systems such as ticketing, telephony, case management and a department knowledge base. Identify opportunities for process improvement, staff training, and other areas for improvement and bring those to the VP Customer Service for addition to project queue. WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE TABLE: Bachelor’s degree preferred. Honorable military service will be considered. Experience working with sales partners, franchisees, or business owners to understand how best to build relationships and support their sales initiatives. Proven success in effectively communicating (listening, writing, and verbal) across all levels of an organization; resulting in met/exceeded product delivery deadlines. Previous success in an Account Management or Customer Service leadership role, working with multiple accounts with strong problem solving and organization skills. Proven ability to communicate at a high level both through email and interpersonal communication with influence and balanced with empathy and kindness. Moderate to advanced skills with Microsoft Office (specifically Outlook and Excel) and learning new systems/technology with understanding that some work is processed manually. Demonstrated success managing multiple processes and tasks at a time with strong organizational and attention to detail to prevent errors. A positive attitude with a focus on learning the complete product cycle to better service the customer (schools and administrators) and field sales representatives. Previous success improving team structures, processes, and/or data is a plus. Previous experience in an education-oriented industry is a plus. PHYSCIAL ACTIVITIES: Daily activity include but may not be limited to: Reading, communication, keyboarding, lifting, carrying, sitting, grasping, reaching. Use of a step ladder to retrieve customer files as needed. Being able to sit for long periods of time. Look at a computer for long periods of time. Ability to work alone in a quiet environment. JOIN THE BEST TEAM ON THE FIELD IN SPORT, SPIRIT & ACHIEVEMENT At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our three distinct brands – BSN SPORTS, Varsity Spirit and Herff Jones – and our network of 9,000 employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with schools, colleges and universities across the country to transform the student journey in SPORT, SPIRIT and ACHIEVEMENT. OUR VALUES Service - We lead with heart. We champion community. Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose. Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions. Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it. Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community. Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do. OUR BENEFITS We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include: Comprehensive Health Care Benefits HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities Wellbeing Program 401(k) plan with company matching Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays Employee Resource Groups St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment! Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability. RECOGNIZED LEADER IN SPORT, SPIRIT & ACHIEVEMENT At Varsity Brands, we aim to build school pride, student engagement and community spirit through three unique but interrelated businesses: BSN SPORTS, Varsity Spirit and Herff Jones. Together, we promote personal, school and community pride through customizable products and programs for elementary, middle and high schools as well as colleges, universities and professional sports organizations, churches and corporations. With more than 6,000 employees and sales partners, our reach spans across North America. Explore the opportunities at each of our operating units.