Client Operations Specialist

The Client Operations Specialist (COS) is a regionally aligned sales support role within Commercial Operations, working in close coordination with Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) and the Sales Rep Channel they support. The COS owns quoting accuracy, order submission, and day-to-day client communication for an assigned region, freeing RSMs and reps to spend more time in the field. The COS is the primary liaison between clients, reps, RSMs, plants, and internal operations, and is expected to resolve client issues proactively and through to completion rather than simply routing requests.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Quoting & Routing

• Partner with the assigned region's Product Specialist to produce accurate, timely sales quotations in the CRM and quoting tools; route incoming requests to the correct Product Specialist and confirm assignment without delay.


• Own the commercial side of each quote — pricing input, margin, and terms — while the Product Specialist owns the technical side (see ownership split below).


• Interact directly with clients on pricing and purchase orders in the RSM's absence; provide historical pricing analysis to RSMs on request.

Order Processing & Logistics

• Prepare and submit clean, complete orders to Order Entry (OE); coordinate delivery logistics and provide clients real-time status.


• Monitor holds, backorders, changes, and cancellations; coordinate expedited shipments as needed.


• Process warranty claims, returns, credits, and repair authorizations with production and quality teams.

Client Communication

• Log and resolve inbound client inquiries by phone, email, and web portal in the CRM.


• Review the Plant Ops Board daily and proactively notify affected clients of late jobs before they have to ask.


• Prepare clear customer correspondence, including confirmations, status reports, and follow-up summaries.

Technical Escalation

• Triage technical questions: resolve straightforward items directly, escalate complex issues to the Product Specialist, Field Service Technician, Account Manager, or Project Manager, and follow through to a communicated resolution.

Account & Service Quality

• Maintain accurate account records — contacts, business address, customer preferences.


• Monitor customer satisfaction, capture feedback, and flag process improvements.


• Coordinate with Production and Product Management on availability, lead times, and pricing accuracy.

Quoting Ownership: COS vs. Product Specialist

Quoting is a shared responsibility. The COS is not expected to independently produce technical quotes for complex or non-standard requests — the COS routes the request and manages the commercial side while the Product Specialist manages the technical side.

Both roles are jointly accountable for a complete, accurate quote reaching the rep on time: the COS ensures no request goes unassigned; the Product Specialist owns technical turnaround time once assigned.

Success Measures

• Quote turnaround: returned to the rep within 5 business days of request.


• OE rejection rate: orders released to Order Entry are clean and complete.


• Plant Ops Board: 100% of assigned accounts with a late order notified the same day it's flagged.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school, or 6 months–1 year of related experience/training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.


• 2+ years of experience in a B2B client services or customer service role; HVAC, manufacturing, or technical support experience a plus.


• Basic understanding of commercial HVAC systems, components, and terminology a plus.


• CRM experience required (SugarSell preferred); familiarity with AS/400 and Edge/Atlas quoting tools, or ability to learn quickly.


• Intermediate-level proficiency with Power BI and Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel).


• Strong written and verbal communication skills; empathy and conflict-resolution skills to de-escalate issues and maintain positive client relationships.


• Ability to work in a request-driven environment with variable regional workload; superior organizational skills and independent judgment.