Purpose of Position: The Customer Service Manager is responsible for leading and developing a team of Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) within a fast-paced third-party logistics (3PL) environment.

This role ensures exceptional customer service delivery, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction through effective team leadership, process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.

The Customer Service Manager serves as the primary escalation point for customer concerns and partners closely with transportation, brokerage, and account management teams to ensure efficient execution of customer requirements and service level commitments.

Essential Functions:

Team Leadership & Development

Lead, coach, and develop a team of Customer Service Representatives.
Establish performance expectations and conduct regular performance reviews.
Monitor workload distribution and staffing levels to ensure optimal service coverage.
Provide training and onboarding for new team members.
Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer focus.

Customer Relationship Management

Serve as the primary escalation point for customer inquiries, issues, and complaints.
Build and maintain strong customer relationships by delivering exceptional service and responsiveness.
Conduct regular customer business reviews and service discussions as needed.
Ensure customer requests are handled accurately, professionally, and within established service level agreements (SLAs).

Operational Coordination

Partner with warehouse operations, transportation, inventory control, brokerage, and account management teams to resolve issues and support customer requirements.
Monitor order fulfillment, shipping activities, inventory discrepancies, transportation exceptions, and service failures.
Ensure customer requirements are communicated effectively across operational teams.
Support implementation and onboarding of new customers and business expansions.
Coordinate service recovery efforts and communicate resolution plans for customer-impacting events.

Brokerage Management

Support and oversee customer-facing brokerage activities to ensure successful execution of transportation services.
Serve as a liaison between customers, carriers, brokers, and internal transportation teams to facilitate timely and accurate freight movement.
Monitor carrier performance, service levels, and capacity availability to support customer commitments and operational requirements.
Collaborate with transportation and brokerage teams to resolve shipment delays, freight exceptions, and service failures.
Ensure accurate and timely communication of shipment status, freight visibility, and issue resolution to customers.
Develop and maintain positive carrier and transportation partner relationships to support capacity, service reliability, and business growth.
Review transportation performance, freight costs, and service trends to identify opportunities for operational improvement and cost efficiencies.
Support carrier compliance initiatives, transportation documentation requirements, and adherence to regulatory standards.
Partner with transportation leadership to optimize routing, improve service performance, and support continuous improvement initiatives.

Performance Management & Reporting

Track and analyze customer service KPIs, including:
- Order Accuracy
- On-Time Shipment Performance
- Customer Satisfaction Scores
- Response and Resolution Times
- Open Issue Management
- Freight Service Performance
- Carrier Performance Metrics
Identify trends and implement corrective actions to improve service performance.
Prepare and present operational and customer service reports to leadership and customers.

Process Improvement

Identify opportunities to improve customer service processes and operational efficiencies.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction and productivity.
Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Support system enhancements and process automation efforts.
Recommend process improvements related to transportation execution, shipment visibility, and issue resolution.

Compliance & Quality

Ensure compliance with company policies, customer requirements, and regulatory standards.
Maintain accurate documentation and records related to customer accounts, transportation activities, and service issues.
Promote adherence to quality standards and operational best practices.
Ensure transportation and brokerage activities comply with company, customer, and regulatory requirements.

Requirements:

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.

Experience

5+ years of experience in customer service, logistics, supply chain, transportation, or 3PL operations.
2+ years of supervisory or management experience leading customer service teams.
Experience supporting warehouse distribution, transportation, fulfillment, or brokerage operations preferred.
Experience working with WMS, TMS, ERP, freight management platforms, and customer portals.
Experience with carrier management, transportation coordination, or freight brokerage operations strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Strong leadership and team development skills.
Excellent customer relationship management capabilities.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel.
Experience with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transportation Management Systems (TMS).
Knowledge of transportation operations, carrier management, and freight brokerage practices.
Strong analytical and reporting skills.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Strong negotiation, conflict resolution, and relationship management abilities.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
On-Time Delivery Performance
Order Accuracy
Customer Issue Resolution Time
SLA Compliance
Team Productivity Metrics
Customer Retention
Employee Engagement and Retention
Carrier On-Time Performance
Load Coverage Success Rate
Freight Cost Management
Transportation Service Failure Resolution
Carrier Compliance and Performance Metrics

Leadership Competencies

Customer Focus
Strategic Thinking
Collaboration
Accountability
Change Management
Continuous Improvement
Coaching & Development
Results Orientation
Relationship Management
Negotiation and Influencing Skills
Operational Excellence

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements

Primarily office-based in a warehouse or distribution center environment.
May require periodic warehouse floor presence to support operational activities.
Occasional travel to customer sites, carrier locations, or company facilities may be required.

DISCLAIMER: This information describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this job. The description is not designed to be a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to qualified disabled individuals for the performance of essential duties and responsibilities.

FLSA Status: Exempt
Reports To: VP of Transportation
Direct Reports: Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) and/or Customer Service Leads, as applicable.

Hermann Forwarding

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