Customer Relations Representative

AKE Safety Equipment; Rochester (MN); On-site; USD 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

AKE Safety Equipment is seeking an Inside Sales & Customer Success Representative to lead the department, coordinating with regionally based sales reps and customers. This role emphasizes creativity, adaptability, and keeping the business moving forward.

You will deliver responsive service, drive sales growth through follow-up, process orders, RMAs, and reporting, and work across departments to improve efficiency and the customer experience.

Qualifications

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with ability to de-escalate and resolve issues.
• Growth-oriented and accountable; own results.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Experience with CRM/order-management systems.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Deliver responsive, professional customer service; understand needs, solve problems, de-escalate concerns, and drive issues through to resolution
• Own and achieve individual sales goals, including year-over-year growth, through proactive customer follow-up, refill sales, new product sales, and identifying customer needs
• Plan, prioritize, and track sales activities and results; analyze performance and adjust strategy to stay on goal
• Notice when something is off, investigate the cause, and take ownership of developing and driving the solution
• Identify customer, sales, or process trends and bring forward ideas to improve results, efficiency, and the customer experience
• Accurately manage orders, RMAs, customer records, serial numbers, registration cards, lost package claims, NPS, and required reporting
• Work effectively across departments to resolve issues, facilitate orders, and improve processes

Skills

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Communication

Customer service

Sales skills

CRM systems

Multi-tasking

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field

Tools

Salesforce

Fishbowl

Job description

AKE Safety Equipment is a locally owned small to mid-sized manufacturing and sales driven company. We operate on a national scale, targeting customers who farm and reside in agriculturally productive areas of the U.S. Our Inside Sales & Customer Success Representative will be the department lead responsible for communicating with our regionally based sales representatives and customers. This role requires creativity, quick adaptation to change and has the ability to keep the success and forward movement of the business as the ultimate top priority.

Specific Responsibilities

• Deliver responsive, professional customer service; understand needs, solve problems, de-escalate concerns, and drive issues through to resolution
• Own and achieve individual sales goals, including year-over-year growth, through proactive customer follow-up, refill sales, new product sales, and identifying customer needs
• Plan, prioritize, and track sales activities and results; analyze performance and adjust strategy to stay on goal
• Notice when something is off, investigate the cause, and take ownership of developing and driving the solution
• Identify customer, sales, or process trends and bring forward ideas to improve results, efficiency, and the customer experience
• Accurately manage orders, RMAs, customer records, serial numbers, registration cards, lost package claims, NPS, and required reporting
• Work effectively across departments to resolve issues, facilitate orders, and improve processes

Required Skills

• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and critical-thinking skills with the ability to investigate issues and develop practical solutions
• Growth-oriented and accountable, with the drive to own results rather than simply complete tasks
• Strong planning, organization, tracking, and follow-through
• Highly detail-oriented with the ability to manage multiple priorities accurately
• Excellent communication, customer service, and sales skills
• Technologically capable and comfortable learning and using CRM, business, and operational systems
• Self-directed, resourceful, and willing to bring forward new ideas and challenge inefficient processes
• Able to recognize problems, take ownership, and drive solutions to completion

Preferred Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field
• 3+ years of customer service experience
• Previous sales or inside sales experience
• Experience with Salesforce and/or Fishbowl or similar CRM/order-management systems
• Experience in an industrial, manufacturing, technical, or product-based environment
• Experience with NPS/customer feedback, order processing, RMAs, inventory, shipping, or fulfillment
• Experience using data and performance metrics to identify opportunities and make business decisions