Customer Success Specialist

Ernest; Commerce (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Ernest is seeking a Client Success Specialist in Commerce, CA to own day-to-day client relationships and partner with the CRM to grow the business.

The role emphasizes proactive problem-solving, strategic account management, and delivering exceptional client experiences in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• College degree required, or 7+ years in project management or high-volume sales.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound, independent judgment and make business decisions with limited supervision.
• Proven relationship-management skills with the ability to advise clients and act as a trusted business partner.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and SAP.
• Sound business math skills, including pricing, margins, and unit conversions.
• Friendly, professional, dependable, and committed to delivering exceptional client experiences daily.
• Ability to work in a team environment, utilizing available company resources to achieve business objectives.
• Willingness to actively participate in company cultural events and activities.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage an assigned portfolio of client accounts and keep each client's business running smoothly.
• Serve as primary decision-maker for day-to-day account matters on behalf of CRM, including order exceptions and pricing adjustments.
• Analyze client purchasing patterns and inventory needs to recommend packaging solutions and account strategies.
• Investigate and resolve client issues and service escalations with independent judgment.
• Represent the CRM in their absence to ensure continuity of service.
• Prioritize competing account demands based on business impact.
• Identify opportunities to expand product adoption and grow revenue across accounts.
• Coordinate cross-functional resolution of orders and service matters.

Skills

Relationship management

Communication

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Pricing knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Job description

At Ernest, we’ve been helping businesses succeed for more than 80 years by building lasting relationships with our clients, employees, and communities. As the largest privately owned packaging company in the United States, we’ve built our success by putting people first. We believe in promoting from within, investing in our employees, and creating opportunities for people to build meaningful, long-term careers.

We’re looking for a Client Success Specialist to join our Commerce, CA team. If you’re organized, make good decisions, enjoy building relationships, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and take pride in owning your work, we’d love to meet you.

Position Summary

As a Client Success Specialist, you’ll be a key business partner to an assigned portfolio of clients and their primary day-to-day point of contact. Working closely with a Client Relationship Manager (outside sales representative), you’ll take ownership of the ongoing needs of your accounts and help ensure their business runs smoothly.

This role goes well beyond processing orders or handling transactions. You’ll get to know your clients’ businesses, anticipate their needs, solve problems, and make thoughtful decisions about how best to support them. You’ll have the flexibility to manage priorities, recommend solutions, and keep things moving without needing direction at every step.

Ultimately, you’ll own the day-to-day success of your accounts by building strong client relationships, identifying opportunities, resolving issues, and partnering with the Client Relationship Manager to grow the business.

The Client Success Specialist is a full-time, exempt (salaried) position reporting to the Client Coordinator Manager.

What You’ll Do

• Independently administer and manage an assigned portfolio of client accounts, exercising discretion and independent judgment to keep each client's business running smoothly.
• Serve as the primary decision-maker for day-to-day account matters on behalf of the assigned Client Relationship Manager (CRM), including order exceptions, expediting requests, inventory substitutions, pricing adjustments, and credit & return decisions.
• Analyze each client's purchasing patterns, inventory needs, and business operations, then recommend and implement the packaging solutions and account strategies that best fit their business.
• Exercise independent judgment to investigate and resolve client issues, escalations, and service exceptions, determining the appropriate course of action.
• Represent the Client Relationship Manager in their absence, making the business decisions needed to ensure continuity of service to the account.
• Evaluate and prioritize competing account demands, allocating your time and internal resources based on business impact and client significance.
• Identify, develop, and act on opportunities to expand product adoption and grow revenue across your assigned portfolio.
• Direct and coordinate cross-functional resolution of order, fulfillment, and service matters, holding internal partners accountable to client commitments.
• Identify and drive improvements to account management practices and workflows within the Client Success Specialist function.

Required Qualifications

• College Degree required, or 7+ years of related experience in project management or high-volume sales account management
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound, independent judgment and make business decisions with limited direct supervision.
• Proven relationship-management skills with the ability to advise clients and act as a trusted business partner.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to interact professionally and persuasively with clients and internal teams.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills, with the ability to manage and prioritize a portfolio of competing account demands.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word. Excel, and SAP.
• Sound business math skills, including the ability to work with pricing, margins, and unit conversions.
• Friendly, professional, dependable, and committed to delivering exceptional client experiences daily.
• Ability to work in a team environment, utilizing available company resources to achieve business objectives.
• Willingness to actively participate in company cultural events and activities.

Why Join Ernest?

At Ernest, our culture sets us apart. We believe in creating an environment where employees are valued, supported, and given opportunities to grow their careers. We work hard, collaborate as one team, celebrate our successes, and are committed to providing an exceptional experience for both our clients and our employees.

If you're looking to join a company with an employee-first culture, long-term career opportunities, and a team that genuinely enjoys working together, we'd love to hear from you.

Please learn more about Ernest by watching some of our YouTube videos:

Ernest's Cardboard Guitar Strikes a Chord

Moving Packaging Forward

Ernest is a nationwide company, but did you know that our humble roots started in a Los Angeles garage? Brothers Ernie and Charles Wilson founded the company in 1946 with a dedication to customized service. Even after decades of delivering great packaging to our customers, that commitment has never changed. We always find the best solution to fit our customers’ needs, even if we have to invent it!