Michelle Otero
Bergenfield,NJ
Summary
A top performer with 30+ years of successful experience; a talent for building and maintaining account relationships and service levels. Proven ability to stabilize trouble accounts and restore customer’s faith in company. An identified high performance team member; selected for key cross functional company initiatives.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Customer Service and Logistics
Citromax Group Inc.
11.2021 - Current
- Company Overview: One of the world's leading growers of lemons and a global powerhouse in lemon oil processing
- Oversee the daily operation of the Juice/Oil and Flavor Customer Service/Logistics team.
- Responsible for overseeing the supply chain management of all goods leaving any Citromax warehouse.
- Manage Inventory in our 3rd party warehouses.
- Develop documented processes and procedures for the CS/Logistics teams
- Recruit, train and develop strong team members.
- Established clear communication channels within the department, fostering a positive work environment that encouraged collaboration and innovation.
- Managed customer service representative team, providing ongoing training and support to continuously improve team performance.
- Created and maintained customer service policies and procedures, contributing to improved customer retention.
Customer Service Manager
SYMRISE
02.2020 - 10.2021
- Company Overview: A leading Global creator and manufacturer of flavors and fragrances
- Manage the day-to-day operations of Flavor Customer Service team.
- Engage with Top Management and Sales Director to meet monthly budget numbers for the Flavor Division
- Work directly with Materials Management team to update forecast in SAP to ensure we can meet customer delivery dates.
- Represent the Supply Chain on special Global business ventures
- Works with Customer Service Team and Operations (internal/external) to ensure on-time performance guidelines are met and business protocols are aligned.
- Oversee the daily activities of the Customer Service area to ensure order management for all accounts.
- Provide key proactive communication regarding account activity to Sales, Finance, Marketing and entire Operations Group (internal/external).
- Train Customer Service with procedure documentation and customer profile development.
- Maintain systems for new business, lost business, first time production, designated SAP master data and error message follow up.
- Promoted to Flavor Customer Service Manager in 2020
Customer Service Supervisor
SYMRISE
01.2013 - 02.2020
- Manage the day-to-day operations of Flavor Customer Service team.
- Works with Customer Service Team and Operations (internal/external) to ensure on-time performance guidelines are met and business protocols are aligned.
- Oversee the daily activities of the Customer Service area to ensure order management for all accounts.
- Provide key proactive communication regarding account activity to Sales, Finance, Marketing and entire Operations Group (internal/external).
- Train Customer Service with procedure documentation and customer profile development.
- Maintain systems for new business, lost business, first time production, designated SAP master data and error message follow up.
- Reviews customer portals and reviews customer order history for forecast data and uploads into SAP.
- Coca Cola: Designated Customer Service Representative to stabilize, rebuild and to regain Core Supplier Status
- Nestle: Nominated as Customer Service Management support for “Big Bet Account” to troubleshoot potential service issues and to maintain high level service.
- Promoted to Flavor Customer Service Supervisor in 2013
Lead Sales Coordinator
SYMRISE
03.2012 - 12.2012
- Support NA Sales Team in the management of Nestle, Unilever, Ocean Spray, The Hershey Company, Proctor & Gamble, GlaxoSmithkline, Atkins, Pfizer to ensure customer needs from brief to contract are met, Symrise/customer relationship is optimized and growth strategies are achieved.
- Functions as the Account Manager internally and engages and manages customer relationships externally as necessary.
- Project Coordination/Supports execution of flavor briefs which includes monitoring key project timelines, coordinating project meetings, debriefing projects and closing projects.
- Supports pricing optimization process (from check history to send letter to customer
- Maintains knowledge of the current Symrise business policy and protocol in order to be the troubleshooter for the Sales Coordination team’s daily business inquiries
- Responsible for monthly DocRequestor statistic report and its appropriate distribution
- Trained 4 new employees in their roles of Sales Coordinators
- Mentored new Sales Coordinators on the 8 principles of being an HPT member and model the HPT behavior.
- Promoted to Lead Sales Coordinator in March 2012
Senior Sales Coordinator
SYMRISE
03.2006 - 02.2012
- Responsible for the collection and distribution of all data required by selected customers, i.e., Specs, Kosher MSDS, Allergen, Nutritional, etc. and interacts with all departments on critical documentation issues and manages document timelines
- Assisted Account Manager in coordinating Core Supplier Programs and manages RFI/RFP processes with other departments to ensure a proper response is developed and presented to the customer in accordance with timelines and requirements.
- Assisted Account Managers in coordinating and developing customer presentations for selected Accounts.
- Supports execution of flavor briefs which includes managing project timelines, coordinating project meetings, debriefing projects and closing projects
- Assisted Account Manager in maintaining PACE database for projects for selected accounts
- Communicates regularly with sales, Flavorists, BUs (Applicationists and Category Leaders), QC and Regulatory functions on behalf of the Account Manager throughout project lifecycle
- Transitioned to Sales Coordination in March 2006 and promoted to Senior Sales Coordinator in 2009
Senior Sales Coordinator
SYMRISE
03.2006 - 02.2012
- Ensures all timelines are met for key projects. Manages project from inception to close of sale. Ensures customers’ project requirements are met and functions as the final reviewer on submissions to the customer. Verifies that all requirements of the project are met
- Identified as lead Sales Coordination contact during Chr Hansen acquisition and integration in 2008
- Campbells: Maintained pricing spreadsheet and responsible for entry of all pricing into SAP. Worked closely with Business Unit, Technical team and Regulatory to meet strict customer deadlines on projects and paperwork.
- Dannon: Established and maintained pricing and liaised with Business Unit as host of numerous customer business and short lead time project deadlines.
- Symrise (continued)
Senior Customer Service Representative
SYMRISE
01.1994 - 01.2006
- Order entry management for Unilever, The Coca Cola Company, Colgate Palmolive, Church & Dwight, Proctor & Gamble along with other Multinational accounts.
- Prioritized and follow up on all customer orders.
- Processed invoices, credits and debits
- Prepared weekly open order report for Unilever providing status of all account activity
- Contacted house accounts for forecast and product hierarchy information
- Originally hired as Customer Service Representative by Florasynth, Inc. in 1994, promoted to Senior Customer Service Representative in 1997 following company’s merger with Haarmann & Reimer (which merged with Dragoco in 2003 forming Symrise)
- Mentored junior representatives, fostering skill development and improving team performance in customer interactions.
- Provided backup support during peak periods or staff shortages to ensure seamless service delivery to clients at all times.
- Resolved escalated issues efficiently, maintaining strong relationships with key clients while upholding company policies and values.
Education
Bachelor Degree - Accounting
William Paterson University
Wayne01.1995
Skills
- Relationship Management
- Leadership
- Process Management
- SAP R3
- Forecast Management
- Matrix Organization
- Process and Systems Trainer
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Troubleshooting
Timeline
Director of Customer Service and Logistics
Citromax Group Inc.
11.2021 - Current
Customer Service Manager
SYMRISE
02.2020 - 10.2021
Customer Service Supervisor
SYMRISE
01.2013 - 02.2020
Lead Sales Coordinator
SYMRISE
03.2012 - 12.2012
Senior Sales Coordinator
SYMRISE
03.2006 - 02.2012
Senior Sales Coordinator
SYMRISE
03.2006 - 02.2012
Senior Customer Service Representative
SYMRISE
01.1994 - 01.2006
Bachelor Degree - Accounting
William Paterson University
Training
- Selected for HPT 2013 Leadership Development Program
- High Performance Customer Interface Training, July 2013 and July 2016
- Excelling as a Manager/Supervisor, Skillpath Course May 2016
- Total Productive Management Training (TPM) March 2018
- Making the Transition from Staff to Supervisor/Manager, Fred Pryor Seminar June 2019
- Leadership and Management Skills for Women, Fred Pryor Seminar September 2019
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