Manager, Customer & Sales Support

Automotive Keys Group (AKG)•Vernon Hills, IL

13d•$63,000 - $65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Customer & Sales Support Manager leads AKG's wholesale support operations and serves as a working manager — directly involved in daily operations while simultaneously driving team development, cross-functional collaboration, and process improvement. Success in this role requires someone who moves fluidly between leadership and execution: developing people, partnering across the organization, and staying close enough to the work to lead by example. This position has a hybrid work schedule.

Requirements

3–5 years of experience in customer service, inside sales support, or a similar role.
At least 1–2 years in team leadership capacity — prior management or supervisory experience is not required but is considered an advantage.
Experience working in or closely with a call center or high-volume phone environment.
Demonstrated ability to balance direct customer-facing responsibilities with team leadership and oversight.
Familiarity with RingCentral or a similar cloud phone/call center platform.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite — especially Excel and Outlook.
Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis

Nice To Haves

Background in distribution, wholesale, or the automotive/locksmith industry is a plus.
Strong communicator — comfortable on the phone, in writing, and in direct coaching conversations.
Genuine interest in developing other people, with the patience and self-awareness to do it well.
Organized and detail-oriented; able to manage your own workload while keeping an eye on the team’s.
Comfortable with CRM, order management, and ERP systems; able to learn new systems quickly and independently.
Works well cross-functionally.

Responsibilities

Manage and resolve customer cases from intake through resolution, and handle inbound calls on orders, products, pricing, and account status when volume requires it.
Monitor open orders and backorders; coordinate with internal teams to obtain ETAs, identify substitutions, and ensure customers are kept informed throughout.
Maintain service quality standards across all customer interactions and intervene directly when escalation or coverage warrants it.
Develop team members through consistent call monitoring, regular one-on-ones, and real-time feedback, using phone system recordings and performance reporting to identify trends, recognize strengths, and close skill gaps.
Establish clear expectations for call handling, case management, and customer communication; hold the team accountable in a constructive way and maintain and improve the SOPs and reference materials that make consistency repeatable.
Partner with leadership to identify process improvement opportunities across the support function and collaborate cross-functionally with sales, operations, IT, and fulfillment to streamline workflows and remove friction for the team and the customer.
Support cross-sell and upsell activity within the team by helping representatives identify and act on revenue opportunities within the natural flow of customer interactions.
Develop dormant account outreach lists by identifying lapsed customers and providing targeted data to the team; hold representatives accountable for working those lists and track re-engagement outcomes.
Work closely with the broader sales team to share customer intelligence surfaced through support interactions.
Represent the voice of the customer in cross-functional conversations; identify and communicate patterns in product, fulfillment, or process with a focus on solutions.
Track team performance against key metrics and share regular updates with leadership.
Look for ways to make the team’s work faster, more consistent, and less reliant on tribal knowledge.