Senior Manager, Customer Experience

Francisco Partners; McHenry (IL); On-site; USD 115,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Follett Content Solutions, located in McHenry, IL, seeks a Senior Manager – Customer Experience to lead a broad customer operations organization spanning frontline service and order entry. You will manage the Customer Service Supervisors and the Manager of Order Entry & Account Maintenance, aligning strategy and driving performance.

The role requires 8–10 years in customer operations with at least 5 years in a management role, strong CRM and data analytics, and executive communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a related field.
• 8–10 years in customer service/operations with 5+ years in management.
• Proven ability to lead multiple teams and drive improvements in customer satisfaction and efficiency.
• Strong written and verbal communication at executive level.
• Experience with CRM platforms and data reporting/analytics.

Responsibilities

• Define vision, goals, and operating model for Customer Service and Order Entry teams.
• Develop leadership capability and succession plans across the functions.
• Drive a high-performance culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.
• Serve as senior escalation authority for high-visibility customer issues spanning service and order management.

Skills

Executive communication

Strategic thinking

Leadership & coaching

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis & reporting

CRM platforms (Salesforce)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Operations/Communications

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

ABOUT FOLLETT CONTENT SOLUTIONS

Follett Content Solutions is the largest provider of educational materials to PreK-12 libraries, classrooms, learning centers, and school districts in the United States, and a major supplier to educational institutions worldwide. With a legacy dating back to 1873, Follett Content distributes books, eBooks, Makerspace and hands‑on learning materials, and audiovisual and digital resources through Titlewave®, the most powerful online collection development and curriculum support tool for librarians and educators. Working with more than 6,000 publishers and offering a vast inventory of over 370,000 in‑stock print titles, Follett Content helps unlock potential in more than 45 million students worldwide. Building on its deep roots in PreK-12 education, Follett Content is now expanding its commitment to public libraries — broadening its reach to serve communities of all kinds and bringing its trusted expertise in collection development to new audiences.

SENIOR MANAGER – CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. This position is an Exempt, Full‑Time position located in McHenry, IL. The pay range for this position is $115,000 -$130,000 annually. We offer an array of benefits, to see those benefits.

Any pay range disclosed is based upon a combination of neutral factors such as required qualifications, experience, education, skill, training, certifications, seniority, etc. Follett Content Solutions reserves the right to provide any successful candidate a salary at the most appropriate level set as a result of such candidate’s qualifications, experience, education, skill, training, certifications or seniority.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Manager – Customer Experience leads a broad customer operations organization spanning both frontline customer service and order entry / account maintenance. This role directly manages the Customer Service Supervisors and the Manager of Order Entry & Account Maintenance, and is accountable for the combined performance, culture, and development of both functions. The Senior Manager sets multi‑team strategy, aligns service and order‑management capabilities with business objectives, and serves as the senior escalation authority for high‑visibility customer and account issues.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Multi‑Team Leadership & Strategy

• Define and communicate the vision, goals, and operating model across both the Customer Service and Order Entry & Account Maintenance functions.
• Build leadership capability, succession plans, and talent pipelines across the combined teams.
• Drive a high‑performance culture built on accountability, coaching, and continuous improvement across all levels of the organization.

Cross‑Functional Partnership & Executive Escalation

• Serve as the senior escalation authority for high‑visibility, executive‑level, or cross‑functional customer and account issues that span service and order management.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Sales, Product, Operations, Finance, and Logistics to align on shared goals and coordinate customer‑impacting decisions.
• Represent the voice of the customer in cross‑functional forums, roadmap discussions, and strategic planning.

Operational Process & Customer Experience Excellence

• Design, launch, and continuously refine customer experience programs — including onboarding journeys, proactive outreach, voice‑of‑the‑customer feedback loops, and service recovery — that raise satisfaction, loyalty, and retention across both functions.
• Champion adoption of new technologies and sponsor cross‑functional process improvement and digital transformation initiatives.
• Ensure data flows and handoffs between service and order management are efficient and accurate.

Performance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Own the combined KPIs for both functions, including SLA attainment, CSAT, Net Promoter Score (NPS), resolution time, order accuracy, order‑entry cycle time, account data integrity, and retention.
• Analyze cross‑functional performance data, identify systemic trends and root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Present regular performance reports and strategic recommendations to leadership.
• Manage the departmental budget, headcount, and resource planning across both functions.

REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations, Communications, or a related field.
• 8-10 years of progressive experience in customer service, customer operations, order management, or account administration, with at least 5 years in a management role overseeing managers, supervisors, or multi‑tiered teams.
• Demonstrated success leading multiple teams or functions simultaneously and driving measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, retention, accuracy, and operational efficiency.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills; ability to translate cross‑functional data into actionable plans.
• Executive‑level written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting to senior and executive leadership.
• Deep experience with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce), customer service and order‑management toolsets, and data reporting/analytics.
• Strong business acumen with experience managing departmental budgets, headcount, and resource planning across teams.

PREFFERED

• Experience in a B2B or library/education services environment.
• Experience overseeing both service delivery and transactional/order‑entry operations.
• Familiarity with process improvement frameworks (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).
• Professional customer experience certification (e.g., CCXP).

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Exceptional judgment, decision‑making, and conflict resolution in complex, high‑impact situations.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across Sales, Product, Operations, Finance, and Logistics.
• Coaching and development orientation — builds leaders, not just performers.
• Customer advocacy paired with commercial pragmatism in a fast‑moving, changing environment.

CLOSING

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment and need assistance or an accommodation in the application process due to a disability, please contact us by email or phone.

Email: Send request to [e-mail]

Phone: Request assistance by calling 800.773.7010 x45130

When contacting us, please provide your contact information, the job position or title, and state the nature of your accessibility issue.

This job description is intended as a guide and may be revised to reflect evolving business needs.

Salary Description

$115,000 - 130,000 Annually