Manager, Customer Service Consumer Products

This is a NEWLY created role that will be a part of forming the Customer Service team that will focus on our Consumer Product Line. This individual will have the opportunity to work with our full Consumer Leadership team.  We are looking for an innovative leader that is ready to be a part of changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners.

The Manager, Customer Service Consumer Products will be responsible for mobilizing a core team of customer service agents, assisting with the design and enablement of chat tools and training agents focused on the growing consumer segment for HMH.  Once established, this Manager will oversee the consumer team handling both inbound and outbound contacts via chat, email and phones and will ensure performance objectives and goals are met.  The Manager will be responsible for developing, coordinating and conducting regular key stakeholder/executive status updates on consumer team performance and is expected to provide directional recommendations.   This position is also responsible for coordinating activities concerned with the entry of orders through to cash in hand.

The Manager will review applicable financial and performance data to build team KPI’s for chat success measures and establish appropriate SLA’s. The Manager will measure productivity and goal achievement across a multi-campus and multi-shift team and determine areas needing cost reduction and program or process improvement.  The Manager will determine workload, backlog, and staffing requirements to formulate solutions and will be required to interview, hire, train new employees, or oversee those processes and develop, coach, counsel existing staff members.  This Manager will foster excellent customer relations, both internal and external and will monitor businesses and or vendor/agencies to ensure that they efficiently and effectively provide needed services while staying within budgetary limits.

Knowledge of SAP and all interfacing systems as well as downstream processes is required and the manager must be able to run and analyze reports including SAP queries, phone management queries, utilize service observance tools, as well as departmental productivity and metrics reports and react accordingly if additional training or performance issues are identified.   Experience with inbound sales, up-selling, save a sale, save a customer processes is required.  

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Manage and oversee the department processes including sales quotations, orders, credits, adjustments, returns, etc. in SAP.
• Communicates back-orders, substitutions, pricing and product compatibility to customers, business desk, salesforce, credit and supply chain stakeholders.
• Escalates as necessary any backlog work items, and works across supply chain and other departments for resolution to customer issues.
• Thoroughly understands the system interfaces to and from SAP as well as the downstream processes.
• Manages Consumer Customer Service, web chat and social media channels for inbound and outbound delivery.
• Recommends process improvements, documents and presents those improvements, oversees testing of all new system functionality impacting the department.
• Reviews and analyzes reporting including productivity, accuracy rates, order and billing blocks, warehouse rejections, back-orders for large customers, and incomplete orders and billing documents and all reports pertaining to Sarbanes Oxley compliance. 
• Reviews financial transactions monthly for adherence to key controls and audit guidelines.
• Responsible for coaching/developing direct reports, evaluation of employees and reports, workflow and backlog reports, productivity estimates to Senior Management. 
• Manages attendance policies, performance issues, schedules, vacation calendars, and departmental training. 
• Reviews expenses and cost center budget and forecasts. 

Job Requirements

SKILLS/COMPETENCIES:

• Management experience in a customer service supply chain environment with strong oral and written communication skills
• Experienced in mobilizing, leading/supervising a support team in an eCommerce company
• Experienced in support roles for eCommerce platform Knowledge in social media tools and techniques
• Exhibit good leadership skills and provide an example for the rest of the department
• Critical thinking & thought leadership
• Be flexible; may be required to work considerable extended hours
• Travel may be required

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Required: 

• BA/BS Degree
• Minimum of 5 years leadership experience leading supervisors and teams
• Experience with Sales Force Live Agent or similar technology
• Experience in an inbound consumer customer service group
• Comfortable with basics of different personal and mobile computing technologies
• Candidate should actively participate in social media activities like blogging, community development and management, social bookmarking, commenting, etc

Physical Requirements:

• Might be in a stationary position for a considerable time (sitting and/or standing).
• The person in this position needs to move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
• Must be able to collaborate with colleagues via face to face, conference calls, and online meetings.

ABOUT US:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global learning company dedicated to changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. As a leading provider of pre-K–12 education content, services, and cutting-edge technology solutions across a variety of media, HMH enables learning in a changing landscape. HMH is uniquely positioned to create engaging and effective educational content and experiences from early childhood to beyond the classroom.  HMH serves more than 50 million students in over 150 countries worldwide, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. 

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PLEASE NOTE:  

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an equal employment opportunity employer and participates in E-Verify. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, or other protected group status.

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