Description Who we are Founded in 2014 and based in Asheville, North Carolina, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn Inc is a leading gourmet popcorn company in the U.S. We sell direct-to-consumer, wholesale and Grocery retail throughout the U.S. Poppy is the fastest-growing small to mid-sized CPG company in its category and boldly pursues ambitious goals that outperform the industry. We believe in using only the best ingredients. We believe in spending way too much time thinking up flavor combinations and making way too many batches of popcorn to get those recipes just right. We believe in savory. And sweet. And we especially believe in savory and sweet. Simply, Poppy makes the best popcorn you will ever eat. We are a people first organization and offer a professionally challenging and rewarding work environment. We are looking for innovative, creative, high energy, and talented professionals that have a passion for growing strong brands and products, thriving in an entrepreneurial environment, and building and leading fun, high-performing teams. Position Description We are seeking a passionate, customer-obsessed, and solutions-driven Customer Experience Manager to take ownership of our customer support function. As a voice of our brand, you will be responsible for shaping and managing the customer journey, ensuring every interaction reflects our commitment to “wowing and delighting” our customers. In this role, you will oversee customer-facing processes, set service standards, and collaborate across departments to continuously improve how we connect with and care for our customers. The ideal candidate is a strategic problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys building and refining systems, and has the autonomy to make decisions that strengthen customer loyalty and enhance the overall experience. This is a full-time, salaried exempt position based on-site at our Asheville, NC production facility, with a starting annual salary of $50,000. Key Responsibilities Customer Communication, Support and Advocacy • Oversee customer communication standards, ensuring all inquiries via phone, email, and chat are addressed in a timely, professional, and brand-aligned manner • Display a courteous, empathetic, warm and customer-first attitude at all times. • Document all customer inquiries, requests, resolutions, and follow-up tasks. • Resolve and guide escalation of complex issues related to orders, shipping, returns, product questions, and website troubleshooting, exercising judgment to determine best outcomes. • Escalate issues to the appropriate department or individual following established guidelines and document for oversight and resolution tracking. • Provide oversight on customer research and resolution accuracy, ensuring information provided to customers is complete and reliable. • Partner with marketing to execute “surprise and delight” moments for our customers, including special notes, merch, or product surprises in shipments. • Partner with marketing to ensure discounts or physical coupons are available for ad hoc use for customer service inquiries or issue resolution. • Ensure customer messaging and communications (holiday schedules, closures, policy updates) are accurate and up to date. • Coordinate and oversee personalized bags and donation inquiries and requests aligning with company values and brand image Customer Service Platform Management • Manage daily workflows within Gorgias, Shopify Inbox, or similar platforms, ensuring prioritization aligns with service standards. • Establish and maintain tagging and triage protocols to drive efficiency in customer ticket management. • Create and oversee macros, automation rules and workflows to streamline the support process. • Partner with Marketing to ensure FAQs are kept up-to-date on all key platforms. • Monitor and report on performance metrics (e.g., response time, resolution time, etc) and recommend improvements to enhance service quality. • Analyze customer outreach trends, summarizing key insights to inform leadership decision-making and drive resolution of systemic issues.. Process Improvement & Fulfillment Support • Direct the development and maintenance of FAQs, email templates, and internal documentation to ensure clarity and consistency. • Identify and lead initiatives to resolve recurring customer issues, working cross-functionally to improve products, policies, or user experience. • Oversee fulfillment-related customer interactions, including pick-ups, returns, and order adjustments, ensuring processes align with customer expectations and company standards. • Own processing DTC returns, including communication with customers and reallocation of product. • Collaborate with the fulfillment team to optimize order processing workflows and provide support in high-volume periods as needed. Requirements • High school diploma or GED required; college coursework preferred. • 4+ years of customer service experience within a high-volume environment (DTC, ecommerce, or food & beverage strongly preferred). • Proven experience managing inbound/outbound customer interactions and implementing strategies to support customer retention. • Proficiency in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Drive) and advanced knowledge of customer support platforms such as Gorgias, Shopify Inbox, Zendesk, or similar systems • Strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills with the ability to coach and develop team members while fostering a customer-first culture. • Empathetic, solutions-oriented, and composed under pressure, with a demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment in complex or escalated situations. • Skilled at working across multiple systems and platforms to resolve issues; experience with Shopify, ShipStation, Fishbowl, or similar platforms preferred. • Excellent organizational skills with the ability to set priorities, delegate tasks, and manage competing deadlines effectively. • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a focus on identifying trends and driving process improvements. • Tech-savvy and comfortable implementing new tools, workflows, and ecommerce technologies to enhance customer experience operations.