Tech Application Supp Specialist

RS Group•Richland Hills, TX

About The Position

As a member of the Services & Solutions Team, this role plays a key part in the delivery of Technical Solutions in the Americas. It supports regional and global objectives to establish RS as the first-choice technical destination for customers and strategic supplier partners, while liaising closely with adjacent Solutions teams across Custom Order Solutions, Procurement Solutions, and Supply Solutions. Our customers include industrial manufacturing plants, machine builders, & system integrators. Technical Solutions supports our customers throughout the lifecycle of their projects, with both self-help and live support. Our services range from basic product selection, to consultation, and design. Through close collaboration with Product and Supplier Management, the team also contributes to stronger supplier relationships by establishing confidence in RS’s technical competence and solution capability. The primary function of the Technical Application Support Specialist is to assist our salespeople & customers with questions they have relating to products we offer. This typically includes product selection, material list creation, and providing product information. The Specialist will mainly support Mechanical & Fluid Power (MFP) including pneumatic and mechanical motion components but will also support industrial automation & controls.

Requirements

Two-year technical or 4-year college degree preferred, or 5+ years equivalent industry work experience related technical or sales position
Knowledge of selecting & sizing fluid power components. Includes components of cylinders, valves, air preparation, fittings, and accessories. Familiar with calculations for cylinder force, cylinder air consumption, cylinder speed, flow.
Knowledge of mechanical motion components including servo motors, gearboxes, encoders, pulleys & belts, chains & sprockets, bearings, couplings, etc. Familiar with how to size and select components based on technical application requirements.
Ability to read pneumatic & mechanical schematics.
Familiar with industrial electrical controls & electronic components
Intermediate level mathematical skills including the use of formulas and performing calculations
Ability to understand customer needs, research answers, and present a solution that is best for the customer and RS
Passionate about helping customers find solutions to their challenges
Strong interpersonal, written, & verbal communication skills
Proficient with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, etc)

Nice To Haves

Experience selecting & applying technical products in RS’s line card including pneumatics, mechanical transmission, automation & control, board-level electronics, connectors, power products, test & measurement, etc
Prior experience in technical sales, industrial distribution, or application engineering
Prior hands-on experience with pneumatic & mechanical motion components in a maintenance role
Ability to read pneumatic, & mechanical schematics.

Responsibilities

Provide product specific answers to questions escalated to Technical Support through a variety of channels including the ticketing system, customer support, phone, email, chat, etc
Product selection based on specifications
Competitive cross-reference
Product questions
For pneumatic and mechanical components, the Specialist may need to perform sizing calculations using digital sizing tools and/or excel.
Seek to understand the customer’s application and investigate opportunities to provide a solution rather than a single part
Ensure support cases are properly documented in the Service Desk applications
Monitor personal performance metrics including case volumes, SLA, revenue attribution, and customer engagement. Focus on continuous improvement.
Assist with the development & adoption of tools that improve operational efficiency
Identify & document self-help resources that can be utilized by salespeople & customers
Participate in a training & development program, including basic and advanced supplier training
Assist with training sales teams and other personnel.
Collaborate with Technical Product Support Specialists, Application Engineers, Customer Service teams, Product & Supplier Management, & sales teams to ensure customer satisfaction
Collaborate with global peer teams on customer issues & best practices