Customer Account Manager

The Customer Account Manager plays a critical role in managing customer relationships, ensuring timely cash collections, resolving order issues, and driving overall customer satisfaction.

This role requires proactive engagement with customers, sales, finance, and supply chain teams to ensure smooth operations, minimize disputes, and optimize cash flow while maintaining compliance with company policies and controls.

Essential Job Functions:

- Schedule and lead regular communications with Customers and Sales teams to drive customer satisfaction and cash collections.

- Proactively identify and eliminate recurring issues related to service, cash, disputes, data, or technical concerns.

- Manage out-of-stock situations proactively by engaging with customers and offering suitable alternatives to avoid sales disruption.

- Drive proactive cash collection efforts and monitor payment behaviors to manage credit risk effectively.

- Propose credit limit adjustments and make recommendations on order release based on customer payment performance.

- Handle phone orders and customer-initiated order amendments accurately within SAP, ensuring timely updates and processing.

- Maintain customer ledger integrity by ensuring overdue invoices, rejected and unidentified deductions are accurately reason-coded and documented with detailed text explanations.

- Provide inputs for cash forecasting to assist finance teams in managing liquidity and financial planning.

- Collaborate with In-market Commercial Finance teams to review bad debt situations, support decisions on provisions, and drive write-offs as necessary.

- Take ownership of all incoming customer queries, ensuring timely responses and resolutions.

- Raise and respond to internal Query Management tickets promptly, following company escalation and resolution processes.

- Regularly update customer contact information and maintain an up-to-date knowledge base to support customer interactions.

- Build and maintain strong relationships with Customers, In-Market Sales, Supply Chain, Commercial Finance, 3PL providers, and STC Process Execution Teams to ensure seamless coordination and service excellence.

- Actively promote adherence to CARM (Sarbanes-Oxley) compliance and internal control agendas in all relevant processes.

- Generate reports to support customer communications, dispute resolution, and root cause analyses, contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators :

- Collection Past Due Percentage

- Collected to Term Percentage

- Number of disputes and average time to resolve disputes

- Customer Deduction Management (including unidentified and rejected deductions)

- Average number of order touches per customer order

- Percentage of touchless (automated) orders

- Return and refusal percentage

- Overall Customer Satisfaction Scores

Qualifications:

- Proven experience in customer account management, collections, or order management roles.

- Proficiency in SAP order management and ledger functions.

- Strong communication and negotiation skills with the ability to manage cross-functional relationships.

- Analytical mindset with the ability to monitor financial data and propose credit risk adjustments.

- Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

- Knowledge of financial controls and compliance requirements, especially Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX).

- Ability to work collaboratively with sales, finance, supply chain, and external partners