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Customer Support Team Lead

Customer Support Team Lead

Country:  United States
City:  Portland
State:  Maine
Location:  Office South Portland
Department:  Customer Service
Posting date:  Jan 10, 2025

Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston with corporate offices in Portland, Maine, is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited, a global renewable resource company that uses every part of the tree to make sustainable woodfiber products. With over 12,000 employees and operations in seven countries, we serve customers worldwide. Our diversified businesses include Packaging, Speciality and Graphic Papers and Dissolving Pulp, offering premium products for various industries. From cosmetics packaging and food industry barrier papers to textiles and the clothes you wear, Sappi’s solutions are vital to the future of sustainable alternatives to plastic and other fossil fuel-based products. 

Sappi North America
Sappi North America, headquartered in Boston with corporate offices in Portland, Maine, is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited, a global renewable resource company that uses every part of the tree to make sustainable woodfiber products. With over 12,000 employees and operations in seven countries, we serve customers worldwide. Our diversified businesses include Packaging, Speciality and Graphic Papers and Dissolving Pulp, offering premium products for various industries. From cosmetics packaging and food industry barrier papers to textiles and the clothes you wear, Sappi’s solutions are vital to the future of sustainable alternatives to plastic and other fossil fuel-based products. 

Position Summary 

The Inside Sale Team Lead is a critical role in combining technical expertise, leadership, and operational excellence to ensure outstanding support for our customers. This role requires a strategic thinker who can manage change, foster cross-functional collaboration, and inspire a team of professionals to achieve high levels of engagement and performance.  This role is essential to maintaining and strengthening customer relationships, resolving complex challenges, and aligning Inside Sales functions with the company’s strategic goals.  By managing change effectively and enhancing employee engagement, the Team Lead contributes to a culture of continuous improvement and positions the organization as a trusted partner in delivering exceptional customer experience.   

 

Key Responsibilities 

 

Team Leadership & Employee Engagement 

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of customer support professionals, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. 

• Foster a positive, high-performance culture that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

• Collaborate with leadership to build and implement strategies to enhance employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction. 

 

Operational Excellence 

• Develop and maintain processes to ensure efficient and high-quality resolution of customer inquiries and issues. 

• Monitor key performance metrics (KPIs), analyze trends, and implement improvements to drive operational success. 

• Identify and implement tools, technologies, and best practices to enhance team productivity and service delivery. 

 

Change Management 

• Lead change initiatives by effectively communicating goals, managing expectations, and providing guidance.

• Collaborate with leadership to design and implement strategies to adapt to evolving business needs and client expectations. 

 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Act as the primary liaison between Inside Sales and other departments (e.g., sales, marketing, supply chain, and production) to ensure a cohesive customer experience. 

• Offer insights and feedback to internal stakeholders to foster improvement aligned with customer needs and technical challenges. 

• Facilitate regular cross-functional meetings to ensure alignment and address operational challenges. 

 

Customer Support Strategy & Execution 

• Develop and execute customer support strategies that align with our organizational strategy. 

• Provide hands-on support for escalated technical issues and guide the team on complex problem-solving. 

• Build and nurture strong relationships with key customer

 

Required Skills & Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience). 

• 5+ years of experience in customer support. 

• Strong technical aptitude with the ability to understand and troubleshoot customer challenges in a technical environment. 

• Proven track record of managing change initiatives, driving operational improvements, and achieving measurable results. 

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with diverse stakeholders across all levels of the organization. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a team in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. 

• Familiarity with customer support tools, CRMs, and data analysis for performance optimization. 

Position Summary 

The Inside Sale Team Lead is a critical role in combining technical expertise, leadership, and operational excellence to ensure outstanding support for our customers. This role requires a strategic thinker who can manage change, foster cross-functional collaboration, and inspire a team of professionals to achieve high levels of engagement and performance.  This role is essential to maintaining and strengthening customer relationships, resolving complex challenges, and aligning Inside Sales functions with the company’s strategic goals.  By managing change effectively and enhancing employee engagement, the Team Lead contributes to a culture of continuous improvement and positions the organization as a trusted partner in delivering exceptional customer experience.   

 

Key Responsibilities 

 

Team Leadership & Employee Engagement 

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of customer support professionals, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. 

• Foster a positive, high-performance culture that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

• Collaborate with leadership to build and implement strategies to enhance employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction. 

 

Operational Excellence 

• Develop and maintain processes to ensure efficient and high-quality resolution of customer inquiries and issues. 

• Monitor key performance metrics (KPIs), analyze trends, and implement improvements to drive operational success. 

• Identify and implement tools, technologies, and best practices to enhance team productivity and service delivery. 

 

Change Management 

• Lead change initiatives by effectively communicating goals, managing expectations, and providing guidance.

• Collaborate with leadership to design and implement strategies to adapt to evolving business needs and client expectations. 

 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Act as the primary liaison between Inside Sales and other departments (e.g., sales, marketing, supply chain, and production) to ensure a cohesive customer experience. 

• Offer insights and feedback to internal stakeholders to foster improvement aligned with customer needs and technical challenges. 

• Facilitate regular cross-functional meetings to ensure alignment and address operational challenges. 

 

Customer Support Strategy & Execution 

• Develop and execute customer support strategies that align with our organizational strategy. 

• Provide hands-on support for escalated technical issues and guide the team on complex problem-solving. 

• Build and nurture strong relationships with key customer

 

Required Skills & Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent work experience). 

• 5+ years of experience in customer support. 

• Strong technical aptitude with the ability to understand and troubleshoot customer challenges in a technical environment. 

• Proven track record of managing change initiatives, driving operational improvements, and achieving measurable results. 

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with diverse stakeholders across all levels of the organization. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a team in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. 

• Familiarity with customer support tools, CRMs, and data analysis for performance optimization. 

Salary is determined by a number of factors including the value of the job to the organization, market forces, internal equity and skills brought to the job.

Sappi provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Sappi complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Salary is determined by a number of factors including the value of the job to the organization, market forces, internal equity and skills brought to the job.

Sappi provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Sappi complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

ABOUT SAPPI

Sappi is a leading global provider of everyday materials made from woodfibre-based renewable resources. As a diversified, innovative and trusted leader focused on sustainable processes and products, we are building a more circular economy by making what we should, not just what we can.

HR Contact for Questions:

Name:  Bethany Kurlanska
Email:  Bethany.Kurlanska@sappi.com
Telephone number:  207-857-1008

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