Customer Service & Operations Manager

Knight Material Technologies LLC; East Canton (OH); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Health savings accounts

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Retirement plan

Paid vacation/time off

Educational assistance

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Knight Material Technologies in Canton, OH seeks a full-time Customer Service Manager to lead order processing and customer support across Knight, ECM, and SDL brands. You will supervise the Order Entry and Marketing Specialists, coordinate with Sales, Estimating, Project Management, Manufacturing, and Accounting, and drive improvements in responsiveness and communication.

The role reports to the VP of Sales & Marketing and emphasizes capability in ERP/Salesforce, problem-solving, and client

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in customer service, customer success, project coordination, inside sales, or related role.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and CRM/ERP tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with internal teams and customers.
• Ability to manage multiple customer needs in a project-based environment.
• Associate or bachelor’s degree in business, communications, engineering technology, or related field preferred.
• High integrity and strong core values.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail; strong time management.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a point of contact for customer questions, concerns, service needs, and escalations, ensuring responsive and professional support.
• Coordinates timely resolution of customer issues across internal departments, establish ownership, track progress, and communicate outcomes to the customer.
• Provides proactive and accurate updates regarding order status, project milestones, schedules, deliveries, documentation, and service activities.
• Monitors open customer commitments, follow up on action items, and escalates risks that could affect customer expectations, delivery, or satisfaction.
• Partners with department leaders to implement improvements that increase responsiveness, communication quality, and ease of doing business with KMT.
• Communicates with key operations personnel on critical needs and with support when customer contact is required.
• Supports customer retention and repeat business by helping maintain strong relationships and communicating account risks or opportunities to the Sales team.
• Supervises, coaches and supports the Order Entry Specialist and Marketing Specialist.
• Logs orders in the Sales Tracking/Sales Forecast spreadsheet, including the month expected to ship/install, the total dollar value, the category of product and the breakdown of materials needed. Maintains this spreadsheet throughout the year to assist the President, CFO and VP of Sales & Marketing with sales and financial planning.
• Administrator for Customer Portals ensuring that the appropriate Sales Manager and/or internal department receives appropriate communication from the tools.
• Reviews monthly backlog report and communicate any discrepancies.
• Works closely with Accounts Receivable to resolve billing discrepancies with customers. Provides customers with the information needed to expedite payment (ship docs, pack list, etc.)
• Assists Sales Team with quotes to customers as necessary.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Skills

MS Office

Communication

Organization

Problem Solving

Customer Service

Team Leadership

Education

Associate or Bachelor’s degree in business

Engineering technology

Communications

Tools

Salesforce CRM

ERP systems

Ariba

Coupa

Job description

Description

Customer Service Manager

Knight Material Technologies is currently seeking a full-time, Customer Service Manager at their East Canton location. The Customer Service Manager is responsible for delivering exceptional customer service to internal and external customers across KMT (Knight, ECM, and SDL brands) while overseeing the day-to-day order processing from order receipt through shipment and/or project completion. This role ensures the smooth and efficient processing of customer orders by serving as a vital link between customers, the Sales Team, and internal operations. The position works closely with Sales, Estimating, Project Management, Manufacturing, Field Services, and Accounting across Knight, ECM, and SDL to resolve issues, maintain clear communication, and improve the overall customer experience. The Customer Service Manager coordinates order requirements, shipment schedules, and delivery processes while supporting our Sales Managers. In addition, this position provides leadership, direction and support to the Order Entry Specialist and Marketing Specialist.

Job Title: Customer Service Manager

Reports to: Vice President of Sales & Marketing

Full-time, Exempt position

Job Location: Canton, OH

Responsibilities:

• Serves as a point of contact for customer questions, concerns, service needs, and escalations, ensuring responsive and professional support.
• Coordinates the timely resolution of customer issues across internal departments, establish ownership, track progress, and communicate outcomes to the customer.
• Provides proactive and accurate updates regarding order status, project milestones, schedules, deliveries, documentation, and service activities.
• Monitors open customer commitments, follow up on action items, and escalate risks that could affect customer expectations, delivery, or satisfaction.
• Partners with department leaders to implement improvements that increase responsiveness, communication quality, and ease of doing business with KMT.
• Communicates with key operations personnel on critical needs and with support when customer contact is required.
• Supports customer retention and repeat business by helping maintain strong relationships and communicating account risks or opportunities to the Sales team.
• Supervises, coaches and supports the Order Entry Specialist and Marketing Specialist.
• Logs orders in the Sales Tracking/Sales Forecast spreadsheet, including the month expected to ship/install, the total dollar value, the category of product and the breakdown of materials needed. Maintains this spreadsheet throughout the year to assist the President, CFO and VP of Sales & Marketing with sales and financial planning.
• Administrator for Customer Portals ensuring that the appropriate Sales Manager and/or internal department receives appropriate communication from the tools.
• Reviews monthly backlog report and communicate any discrepancies.
• Works closely with Accounts Receivable to resolve billing discrepancies with customers. Provides customers with the information needed to expedite payment (ship docs, pack list, etc.)
• Assists Sales Team with quotes to customers as necessary.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Proficient with Microsoft Office software; experience with Salesforce CRM and ERP systems preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate professionally with customers and internal teams.
• Strong organization, follow-through, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to manage multiple customer needs and priorities in a project-based environment.
• 3+ years of experience in customer service, customer success, project coordination, inside sales, account management, or a related role.
• Associate or bachelor’s degree in business, communications, engineering technology, or a related field preferred.
• High integrity and strong core values.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Experience in industrial manufacturing, engineered products, construction, or project-based services.
• Knowledge of export regulations and procedures.
• Experience coordinating customer requirements across sales, operations, and field service teams.
• Experience with Customer Portals such as Ariba or Coupa is a strong plus.
• Experience managing customer complaints, escalations, or corrective actions.
• Working knowledge of order management, project schedules, shipping, invoicing, and customer documentation.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Order Entry Specialist
• Marketing Specialist

Physical Demands:

• Ability to work in an office and manufacturing environment.
• Able to communicate by phone, video conference, email, and in person for extended periods.
• Occasional North America travel may be required.

Competencies:

• Drives Results
• Customer Focus
• Instills Trust
• Collaborates
• Situational Adaptability
• Communicates effectively
• Plans and Aligns
• Manages Complexity
• Ensures Accountability
• Develops Talent

Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and paid parental leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify