Customer Service Manager in Ashland, Massachusetts at Kidde-Fenwal LLC

Customer Service Manager

Ashland, MA

About KiddeFenwal

KiddeFenwal is a global leader in fire protection, life safety, and controls solutions. We design and manufacture innovative fire suppression systems, fire detection technologies, safety controls, and monitoring solutions that protect people, critical assets, and high-value environments worldwide. Serving OEMs, distributors, system integrators, and end users, KiddeFenwal is committed to engineering excellence, operational reliability, and customer success.

Position Summary

The Customer Service Manager is responsible for leading the customer service team supporting KiddeFenwal's Fire Suppression and Controls businesses. This role oversees customer support, order management, and customer-facing operations while ensuring an exceptional customer experience from order entry through delivery.

The Customer Service Manager partners closely with Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Logistics to meet customer expectations, resolve issues, and drive continuous improvement. The successful candidate will lead a high-performing team, support key OEM and distributor relationships, and contribute to operational excellence across the business.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Service Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop the customer service team.
• Establish and monitor customer service KPIs and performance metrics.
• Drive a culture of responsiveness, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Manage staffing, training, and employee development.

Customer & Order Management

• Serve as the primary escalation point for customer service issues.
• Build strong relationships with OEM customers, distributors, and strategic accounts.
• Oversee order processing, backlog management, delivery commitments, and customer communications.
• Coordinate with internal teams to resolve supply, delivery, and service issues.

Operational Excellence

• Partner with Sales, Planning, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Quality teams to ensure customer commitments are met.
• Participate in S&OP and demand planning activities.
• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Utilize ERP and CRM systems to improve visibility, reporting, and workflow effectiveness.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Monitor and report on:
  • Customer satisfaction
  • On-time delivery
  • Order accuracy
  • Response and resolution times
  • Backlog management
  • Fill rates
  • Claims and returns performance
• Analyze trends and implement corrective actions to improve service outcomes.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, or a related field preferred.

Experience

• 7+ years of customer service, order management, or customer operations experience in a manufacturing environment.
• 3+ years of leadership experience.
• Experience supporting OEM customers, distributors, or complex B2B customer relationships.
• Experience in fire protection, life safety, controls, industrial manufacturing, automation, or engineered products preferred.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar platforms.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent customer relationship management capabilities.
• Effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Knowledge of manufacturing, supply chain, and order fulfillment processes.
• Proficiency with ERP, CRM, and Microsoft Office applications.

Success will be measured through:

• Customer satisfaction and retention
• On-time delivery performance
• Order accuracy and service quality
• OEM and distributor satisfaction
• Team engagement and productivity
• Continuous improvement results
• Achievement of service-level and business objectives