Key Accounts Manager (Business Development & Customer Service)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key Accounts Manager - Business Development & Customer Service (B2B)

Company: VGO FOODS
Industry: Food & Beverage Fresh Cold-Pressed Juices
Location: Mira Road, Mumbai
Department: Business Development & Customer Service
Reports To: VP – Business Development / Senior Management

Employment Type: Full-Time

1. Job Purpose

The Key Accounts Manager will be responsible for managing and growing existing B2B client relationships, acquiring new business, ensuring excellent customer service, coordinating order fulfilment, and driving revenue growth for VGO FOODS.

The role requires a proactive professional who can manage key hospitality and institutional accounts, including hotels, restaurants, cafs, caterers, and corporate clients, while ensuring timely deliveries, product quality, customer satisfaction, and efficient payment collections.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Key Account Management

• Manage and strengthen relationships with existing B2B clients, including hotels, restaurants, cafs, caterers, and institutional customers.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for key accounts, ensuring prompt resolution of queries, complaints, and operational issues.
• Conduct regular client visits and business review meetings to understand requirements and identify growth opportunities.
• Maintain customer-wise product preferences, pricing, order patterns, delivery schedules, and commercial terms.
• Develop account-wise growth plans to increase order frequency, product range, and overall sales.

B. Business Development & Sales Growth

• Identify and acquire new B2B customers across the hospitality, food service, retail, and corporate sectors.
• Generate leads, arrange product sampling, conduct presentations, negotiate commercial terms, and close sales.
• Develop new business opportunities for cold-pressed juices, fresh juices, smoothies, and other company products.
• Achieve monthly and quarterly sales targets, customer acquisition goals, and revenue growth objectives.
• Prepare sales forecasts, maintain a sales pipeline, and submit regular business development reports.
• Monitor market trends, competitor pricing, and customer requirements to recommend new business opportunities.

C. Customer Service & Order Management

• Receive, verify, and coordinate daily customer orders, purchase orders, and amendments.
• Ensure accurate communication of product variants, quantities, packaging sizes, delivery locations, and delivery timelines.
• Coordinate with production, procurement, quality control, inventory, and dispatch teams to ensure timely order fulfilment.
• Monitor order status and proactively communicate any production, availability, or delivery-related issues.
• Maintain high customer satisfaction through prompt responses, professional communication, and effective follow-up.
• Track customer feedback and coordinate corrective and preventive actions for complaints.

D. Payment Receivables & Credit Control

• Monitor customer outstanding balances, credit periods, due dates, and overdue invoices.
• Follow up proactively with customer purchase and finance departments for timely payment releases.
• Coordinate with the accounts team to reconcile outstanding invoices, payment advice, credit notes, and payment allocations.
• Maintain customer-wise receivables ageing reports and prepare regular collection forecasts.
• Escalate overdue payments, credit limit breaches, and disputed invoices to management.
• Support credit control measures, including payment reminders and supply holds, in accordance with management-approved policies.
• Ensure timely resolution of billing discrepancies and documentation issues affecting payment collections.

E. Coordination with Production & Supply Chain

• Share confirmed orders and sales forecasts with the production and planning teams.
• Coordinate product availability, raw material planning, packaging requirements, and dispatch schedules.
• Ensure that customer-specific specifications and delivery instructions are communicated accurately.
• Monitor cold-chain delivery coordination and promptly escalate temperature, transit, or delivery-related concerns.
• Support make-to-order production planning by communicating demand changes and customer priorities.

F. Quality Assurance & Complaint Management

• Record and communicate complaints relating to product quality, taste, appearance, packaging, shelf life, and delivery conditions.
• Coordinate with the Quality Assurance team to investigate complaints and obtain root-cause analysis and CAPA updates.
• Ensure timely communication of investigation findings and corrective actions to customers.
• Maintain complaint records, customer feedback logs, and closure timelines.
• Reinforce proper handling, storage, and refrigeration requirements for fresh, temperature-sensitive juice products.
• Never independently approve product quality deviations, shelf-life extensions, or product releases outside company procedures.

G. Reporting & Documentation

• Maintain accurate customer master data, contact details, purchase orders, price lists, contracts, and commercial records.
• Prepare daily sales reports, customer-wise sales analysis, outstanding reports, and order fulfilment summaries.
• Track key performance indicators, including revenue, gross margin, repeat orders, collections, complaints, and customer retention.
• Update the CRM or designated reporting system regularly.
• Coordinate with the accounts team for invoice accuracy and timely billing.
• Ensure compliance with company policies and applicable food safety and customer documentation requirements.

3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The employee will be evaluated on the following parameters:

1. Achievement of monthly sales and revenue targets.
2. New B2B customer acquisition and conversion rate.
3. Growth in sales from existing key accounts.
4. Customer retention and repeat-order rate.
5. Timely payment collection and reduction in overdue receivables.
6. Order accuracy and on-time delivery coordination.
7. Customer complaint resolution time and closure rate.
8. Gross margin achievement and adherence to approved pricing.
9. Accuracy and timeliness of reports and customer documentation.
10. Customer satisfaction and account development.

4. Required Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate in Business Administration, Commerce, Marketing, Hospitality Management, or a related discipline.
• 3–6 years of experience in B2B sales, key account management, customer service, or business development.
• Experience serving hotels, restaurants, cafs, hospitality groups, food service companies, or institutional clients will be preferred.
• Experience in food and beverage, FMCG, fresh produce, or perishable products will be an added advantage.
• Practical knowledge of sales reporting, receivables follow-up, purchase orders, invoicing, and customer relationship management.
• Proficiency in MS Excel, email communication, and CRM/ERP systems.

5. Required Skills & Competencies

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Strong business development and customer retention capabilities.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of pricing, margins, and credit terms.
• Strong follow-up, coordination, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple customer accounts and time-sensitive daily orders.
• Professional approach to handling escalations and customer complaints.
• Good analytical, reporting, and planning abilities.
• Ownership, accountability, and a customer-first mindset.

6. Key Internal & External Stakeholders

Internal: VP – Business Development, Accounts & Finance, Production, Procurement, Quality Assurance, Inventory, Dispatch, and Logistics teams.

External: Hotel purchase managers, executive chefs, food and beverage managers, restaurant owners, caf managers, procurement teams, accounts payable teams, and institutional buyers.

7. Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a commercially driven, organised, and customer-focused professional who can balance business growth with operational execution. The candidate must be comfortable managing hospitality clients, coordinating daily fresh juice supplies, following up on payments, resolving service issues, and building long-term, profitable B2B relationships.

The role requires a strong sense of ownership, urgency, accuracy, and accountability in a fast-paced, perishable food manufacturing environment.