Kara Paul
Minneapolis,MN
Summary
Highly accomplished and results-driven professional with over two decades of progressive experience in customer service and sales operations, seeking to leverage a successful career in current role as Director of Wholesale Customer Service/Sales Support to secure a challenging executive position where I can make a strategic impact and drive operational excellence. Eager to bring my expertise to small innovative companies and brands.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Customer Service/Sales Support
Jellycat Inc.
12.2001 - Current
- Analyzed customer feedback and identified areas for improvement, leading to increased customer retention.
- Managed customer service effectiveness by monitoring performance and assessing metrics.
- Created and maintained customer service policies and procedures, contributing to improved customer retention.
- Built strong relationships with field operations team to support business development opportunities and improve service.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams for smooth running of customer service operations.
- Managed customer service representative team, providing ongoing training and support to continuously improve team performance.
- Devised recommendations to streamline and simplify customer support system and improve response time.
- Employed comprehensive benchmarks to establish and monitor customer service standards.
- Resolved issues through active listening and open-ended questioning, escalating major problems to manager.
- Hired, managed, developed and trained staff, established and monitored goals, conducted performance reviews and administered salaries for staff.
- Coordinated individual duties after careful evaluation of each employee's skill level and knowledge.
- Implemented project management techniques to overcome obstacles and increase team productivity.
- Worked closely with organizational leadership to guide operational strategy.
- Oversaw operations and provided corrective feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
- Monitored and coordinated workflows to optimize resources.
- Assisted with sales and marketing strategies to foster achievement of revenue goals.
- Oversaw supply chain functions to verify inventory levels and budget adherence.
- Interacted well with customers to build connections and nurture relationships.
- Handled problematic customers and clients to assist lower-level employees and maintain excellent customer service.
- Managed purchasing, sales, marketing and customer account operations efficiently.
- Reported issues to higher management with great detail.
Key Account Administrator
Jellycat Inc.
12.2001 - Current
- Addressed problems with accounting, billing, and service delivery to maintain and enhance client satisfaction.
- Built and strengthened long-lasting client relationships based on accurate price quotes and customer-centric terms.
- Evaluated client needs and developed tailored solutions to increase positive customer ratings.
- Managed over ten key wholesale account setups and ongoing support.
- Maintained routine communication with clients to track orders and logistics and resolve issues and address concerns
- Worked with sales team to collaboratively reach targets, consistently meeting or exceeding personal quotas.
- Kept detailed records of inventories, completed sales and customer information to enhance customer experiences.
- Clarified customer requests, forwarded product information and answered questions to support sales operations.
- Supported customers continuously from sales process to product set-up and use.
- Resolved order issues efficiently and enhanced customer satisfaction ratings.
- Fulfilled orders and sourced products to meet rigorous customer delivery schedules.
- Serviced existing accounts on regular basis to maximize revenue.
- Tracked customer and supply chain details for precise and timely fulfillment.
- Worked closely with sales teams and buyers to support back office efficiency.
- Hired new employees and suggested existing ones for promotions.
- Evaluated operational practices and identified improvement opportunities to develop revisions for systems and procedures.
- Optimized customer experience by delivering superior services and effectively troubleshooting issues.
- Conducted regular reviews of operations and identified areas for improvement.
- Developed and updated tracking spreadsheets for process monitoring and reporting.
- Cultivated positive relationships with vendors to deliver timely and cost-effective supply of services and materials.
- Observed packing operations to verify conformance to specifications.
- Gathered, organized and input information into digital database.
Sales Operations Support
Jellycat Inc
12.2001 - Current
- Enabled sales operations to run smoothly through effective management of department's workflows and processes.
- Collaborated with sales executives to determine sales areas that could be improved.
- Created policies and procedures for all sales staff to follow to keep departmental operations running successfully.
- Developed organization systems for sales reports and financial records and strengthened operational traceability and operational efficiencies.
- Reviewed contracts for accuracy and validity of cost and quote information, contacting customers directly to resolve issues when appropriate.
- Developed tools and processes to help improve operational efficiency and enhance sales team productivity.
- Gathered, organized and analyzed data, resolved discrepancies and modeled information.
- Produced scheduled and ad hoc reports using SAP.
- Identified and analyzed project risks and developed mitigation strategies.
- Collaborated with operations team to provide excellent customer service and foster positive work environment.
- Created and maintained well-organized electronic and hard copy files to support business processes.
- Participated in operations team meetings to coordinate and assign project management tasks.
- Coordinated with vendors, customers and internal departments to understand, monitor and communicate changes to workflows.
- Liaised with freight forwarders and carriers to arrange product movements and deliveries.
- Conducted regular quality reviews of business data and processes to identify discrepancies and formulate solutions.
- Conducted thorough reviews of operations to devise and deploy improvement strategies.
Assistant Sales Manager for Wholesale
Jellycat Inc.
12.2001 - Current
- Assisted sales team with completing customer transactions and managing issues.
- Coached sales associates in product specifications, sales incentives, and selling techniques, significantly increasing customer satisfaction ratings.
- Generated sales report to help upper management make effective decisions and sales plans.
- Demonstrated exemplary customer service by engaging clients at trade shows.
- Directed sales support staff in administrative tasks to help sales reps close deals.
- Built relationships with customers and community to establish long-term business growth.
- Resolved problems with high-profile customers to maintain relationships and increase return customer base.
- Collaborated with upper management to implement continuous improvements and exceed team goals.
- Delivered recommendations to long-term accounts to promote brand awareness to key audience.
Education
Bachelor Of Science - Parks, Recreation, And Leisure
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND12.1992
Skills
- Project Management
- Staff Management
- Contract Negotiation
- Logistics Management
- Project Coordination
- Staff Development
- Operations Management
- Issues Resolution
- Hiring and Retention
- Organizational Development
- Contract and Vendor Management
- Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM)
Timeline
Director of Customer Service/Sales Support
Jellycat Inc.
12.2001 - Current
Key Account Administrator
Jellycat Inc.
12.2001 - Current
Sales Operations Support
Jellycat Inc
12.2001 - Current
Assistant Sales Manager for Wholesale
Jellycat Inc.
12.2001 - Current
Bachelor Of Science - Parks, Recreation, And Leisure
University of North Dakota
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