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- Develop service standards, deal with customer enquiries and manage customer service teams.
- Requires excellent communication and people skills, strong motivational skills and planning and organisational skills
- Excellent opportunities to progress into senior management
As a customer service manager you'll make sure that customers' needs and expectations are satisfied.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Developing customer service policies and procedures
- Leading a team of customer services staff
- Handling enquiries and complaints
- Authorising refunds
- Making sure accurate records are kept
- Helping to recruit
- Train and assess new staff
- Keeping up to date with customer service developments
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll also attend training sessions and report regularly to senior managers on how teams are performing and whether targets are being met.
Part-time work is often available. Shift work, including evenings and weekends, is common in some job areas.
You'll need
This role is ideal for someone with excellent communication and people skills, strong motivational skills, planning and organisational skill and the ability to multi-task and problem-solving skills.
There are no set requirements, but you could start as a customer service adviser and with training, move up to become a team supervisor, team leader then manager. There are many customer service training courses, and your employer would suggest the ones most relevant to the industry you work in.
You could also choose to do more general management qualifications, for example through the Institute of Leadership & Management or the Chartered Management Institute.
It may be helpful to join The Institute of Customer Service for professional development training.
Alternatively, you could do a customer services advanced apprenticeship. After finishing, you could take further training to become a manager. You may be able to do a more specific higher or degree apprenticeship to become a manager, depending on your industry. Examples include, marketing, retail, banking, hospitality and passenger transport.
Another qualification that might help you gain the relevant experience needed for this role is a Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Customer Services.
Completing a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree and then applying for a place on a graduate management trainee scheme is another route into this role. The subject you take will depend on the industry you want to work in, for example business management, retail management, tourism and hospitality and financial services.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience you could move into a more senior position, be responsible for customer service across a region, or become a customer service director for a whole organisation.