Pay Rate: $65k - $70k per year
Schedule Mon - Fri 7am - 4pm (subject to change)
The Customer Relations Specialist/Operations Agent provides advanced customer service, operational coordination, and administrative oversight to support complex shipment activity within a multimodal transportation terminal, air/ocean branch, or contract logistics site. Serving as a senior point of contact, they manage escalated customer needs, oversee end‑to‑end shipment coordination, and resolve service issues and improve operational outcomes. They are responsible for overseeing scheduling, shipment tracking and tracing, documentation accuracy, and core financial processes including billing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable support. Working closely with customers, carriers, drivers, and internal operations teams, they proactively identify risks, recommend solutions, and ensure service commitments are met.
Responsibilities
Serve as a senior point of contact for customers, carriers, drivers, and internal teams, managing complex or escalated service inquiries.
Oversee and coordinate shipment activity from order entry through delivery, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with established procedures.
Exercise independent judgment to resolve shipment exceptions, service delays, and documentation issues; determine appropriate corrective actions.
Lead advanced tracking and tracing activities, proactively identifying potential disruptions and communicating mitigation plans to stakeholders.
Coordinate and optimize scheduling for pickups, deliveries, appointments, and operational workflows across multiple parties.
Review, validate, and approve shipping documentation including air waybills (AWBs), bills of lading, labels, and proof of delivery (POD).
Provide guidance and informal mentorship to Customer Relations Coordinators and support staff on procedures, systems, and customer interactions.
Oversee billing accuracy and financial documentation; analyze discrepancies and work cross‑functionally to resolve AR/AP issues.
Maintain oversight of organized, compliant electronic and physical files for shipment, financial, and administrative records.
Collaborate with operations, dispatch, and leadership teams to improve communication, service reliability, and process efficiency.
Identify recurring service issues or process gaps and recommend improvements aligned with operational goals.
Support terminal or site activities as needed, including freight acceptance and coordination of specialized shipment requirements.
Participate in cross‑functional meetings, training initiatives, and operational improvement projects.
All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.
Qualifications
Education: High School Diploma or GED equivalent required; undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university preferred.
Progressive experience in customer relations, logistics, transportation, or operational support roles with increasing responsibility.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion in resolving complex customer and operational issues.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving skills with the ability to manage competing priorities independently.
Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence and collaborate across teams.
Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, team‑oriented, on‑site environment with minimal supervision.
Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)
Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on‑site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.
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Since 1990, Forward Air has been a leading provider of ground transportation and related logistics services to the North American air freight and expedited LTL market. We offer surface shipping on an accelerated “time-definite” basis, delivering cargo at a specific time, but under less time-sensitive situations – supplying you with a cost effective, reliable alternative to air transportation. We work with companies of all sizes to develop tangible advantages and build the best products to meet your specific needs. Forward Air presents to the wholesale transportation community (logistics companies, freight forwarders, integrated air cargo carriers, passenger/ cargo airlines, and non-traditional shippers), a single-source provider that can deliver more supply chain services and a superior menu of choices. Throughout the years we have added supplementary lines to our linehaul service, such as full truckload operations (Truckload Services), final-mile coverage (Complete® Cartage), and an Airline Logistics program, and we will continue to expand our services to meet the changing needs and growth of our customer base.
Forward Air is structured to optimize both savings and service to our customers. Direct partnerships with owner-operators and other surface transportation providers, enable us to remain cost-competitive. The Forward Air network is designed with over 90 facilities located at or near major U.S. and Canadian airports, 12 regional sort centers and over 300 beyond points (secondary airports provided through our Complete Cartage service), creating one of the most comprehensive linehaul networks in the industry.
The foundation product for Forward Air is our expedited linehaul service, offering consistent and reliable transit and on-time, damage-free deliveries. By locating terminals on or near airports and maintaining a scheduled transportation network, we are able to arrange for convenient and consistent service with broad geographic coverage. Shipments of varying sizes (TL/LTL) are received at our terminals and transported by contracted service providers either (1) on a direct truck to the destination terminal, (2) through our Columbus, Ohio central sorting hub, or (3) through one of our 12 regional hubs, where they are unloaded, sorted, and reloaded in rapid fashion. After reloading the shipments, our contracted service providers deliver them to the destination city for early morning recovery. Through our Forward Air Complete® cartage service, customers also can have shipments picked up from the shipper, delivered to the final consignee, or transferred at the airport, simplifying the freight management processes. These options allow us to maximize handling efficiency of each shipment while minimizing freight loss and damage, improving transit times over traditional ground transportation.