Sales & Customer Experience Specialist

General Job Description: The Customer Experience & Sales Support Specialist plays an important role in creating an exceptional customer experience from initial inquiry through project completion. This position serves as a key first point of contact for prospective and existing customers, helping qualify and develop inbound leads, gather critical project information, support the sales process, and maintain strong customer relationships.

This role works closely with the Sales Team and other departments to ensure opportunities move efficiently through the sales process and customers receive timely, accurate, and professional support.

The ideal candidate is a highly motivated self-starter who thrives in a fast-paced environment, demonstrates exceptional attention to detail, and enjoys building relationships, solving problems, and helping customers find the right solutions.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Lead Management & Customer Engagement

• Field incoming phone calls promptly, with an expectation of answering by the first ring, and respond to incoming web chats within 15 seconds.
• Respond promptly and professionally to web leads, quote requests, and other customer inquiries.
• Ask effective discovery questions to identify customer needs, project requirements, timelines, and other critical information.
• Conduct initial lead qualification to identify and develop high-potential opportunities for the Sales Team.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of customer interactions, including phone calls, emails, meetings, and follow-up activities, within HubSpot CRM.
• Ensure leads receive consistent communication and appropriate follow-up throughout the sales process.

Sales Support & Quote Development

• Provide comprehensive support to Sales Experts/Specialists, including coverage when Sales Coordinators are unavailable.
• Assist with quote preparation, proposal development, and systematic customer follow-up.
• Initiate quotes with a high degree of accuracy using information gathered through customer discovery, allowing for an efficient handoff to the appropriate sales team member.
• Obtain required sales documentation, including signed purchase orders, tax-exempt certificates, and other necessary customer records.
• Help drive sales through proactive customer engagement, suggestive selling, and effective product knowledge.
• Identify opportunities to provide additional products, services, or solutions based on customer needs.

Customer Service & Order Support

• Assist customers with questions or concerns regarding orders, account status, project details, and other service-related needs.
• Communicate accurate information regarding product lead times, shipping expectations, and project timelines.
• Collect and verify payment and project information, ensuring accuracy of products, quantities, colors, mounting styles, billing and shipping information, renderings, and other applicable details.
• Provide customers with installation instructions, packing lists, and other project-specific documentation.
• Set and manage customer expectations regarding lead times, pricing estimates, project requirements, and deliverables.
• Help troubleshoot customer concerns and coordinate with internal teams to reach timely and appropriate resolutions.

Product Knowledge & Industry Expertise

• Develop and maintain comprehensive knowledge of playground equipment, product offerings, safety guidelines, and applicable industry regulations.
• Contact manufacturers as needed to obtain product specifications, availability, lead times, and estimated shipping dates.
• Assist customers, when appropriate, with identifying products and equipment that best meet their needs and project requirements.
• Continuously develop product and industry knowledge, including evolving playground equipment guidelines, safety standards, and regulations.
• Use product knowledge to confidently answer customer questions and support the overall sales process.

Team Collaboration & Communication

• Participate in daily check-ins with the AAA Sales Manager to review open projects, priorities, outstanding tasks, and follow-up needs.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships across departments to support smooth customer transitions from initial lead through project completion.
• Collaborate with Sales, Design, Operations, Fulfillment, and other internal teams to provide a seamless customer experience.
• Communicate proactively with team members regarding customer needs, project changes, potential concerns, and required follow-up.
• Actively contribute to AAA Team sales goals through effective lead development, sales support, customer service, and relationship retention.

Customer Relationship Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with prospective, new, and existing customers through consistent and professional communication.
• Deliver outstanding customer service that reflects company values and encourages long-term customer loyalty.
• Respond promptly and professionally to customer inquiries across phone, email, web chat, and other communication channels.
• Serve as a knowledgeable and dependable resource for customers throughout their experience with NVB.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; additional education in business, sales, customer service, or a related field is a plus.
• Previous experience in customer service, sales, sales support, account management, or a related customer-facing role preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong customer service, relationship-building, and problem-solving abilities.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong follow-up and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable asking discovery questions, qualifying leads, identifying customer needs, and supporting sales activities.
• Strong computer skills with the ability to quickly learn CRM platforms and other business systems; HubSpot experience is a plus.
• Ability and willingness to learn detailed product information, industry terminology, and applicable guidelines and apply that knowledge to customer needs.
• Self-motivated, dependable, professional, and able to work effectively both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Must be willing and able to work on-site at the company's office.

Additional Information

• This is an office-based position and requires regular on-site attendance at the company's premises.
• Success in this role requires exceptional organization, attention to detail, responsiveness, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• The individual must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, customer-focused, sales-support environment where priorities may shift based on business and customer needs.
• Duties, responsibilities, and priorities may change or evolve as business needs require.