Customer Services Manager

Also known as:

Customer Care Manager
Supervisor, Customer Services
Call Centre Manager

Introduction

Customer services managers make sure that customers' needs are met, and that users of the company's products or services continue to buy them. They supervise a team of customer service assistants in a retail store, a call centre or an office.

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Work Activities

Customer services managers make sure that the company they work for is meeting its customers' needs, and that customers are happy with the products or services they are supplying. If customers are satisfied, they will continue to buy the products or services so profits will be maximised.

Customer services managers lead, supervise and co-ordinate teams of assistants. They monitor performance to ensure that the team members are giving good service to customers.

They may recruit staff, organise training, plan work rotas, hold staff meetings and motivate the team. They may also coach and counsel team members.

They prepare plans for anticipating customer needs and improving customer service, and they plan and manage budgets. Depending on the size of the organisation, they may prepare, or have input into, customer service policies and quality standards. Examples of standards include:

• replying to a customer enquiry or complaint within a certain time
• answering the telephone quickly
• what customers can do if they are not satisfied with a reply
• instructions to staff on how to record details of suggestions or complaints.

Customer services managers may have to prepare reports for directors or other senior managers, showing an analysis of queries/complaints received and the outcomes.

Customer services managers deal with complicated suggestions, enquiries or complaints that their staff pass on to them. They have to understand the customer's needs and points of view by finding out all the facts. In the case of a complaint, they must decide whether to offer the customer a refund or exchange, or some other form of compensation.

Sometimes a customer has a suggestion, enquiry or complaint that could result in a product or service being changed or improved in some way. In this case, the customer services manager liaises with other managers in the company to make sure this happens.

Managers working in a retail store are likely to have face-to-face contact with customers on a daily basis. They may be required to wear a uniform. Retail customer services operations may be run from a reception area or desk in the store. In large stores, the customer services manager may recruit and manage section heads, who are responsible for assistants in their area.

Those working in manufacturing or service industries, or public authorities, are more likely to have contact with customers by telephone, letter, fax or email.

Some organisations run their customer services operations through a call centre, where the manager supervises a team of operators working solely on the telephone.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

Customer services managers need to be patient, pleasant and polite, with good interpersonal and telephone skills. They need high levels of verbal and written communication skills.

You should be decisive and able to take responsibility for solving problems. You will need to be well organised and able to prioritise tasks. You should be of smart appearance.

You should be able to think calmly and clearly even when other people are angry or upset. You should be able to consider how other people are feeling. You will need to be tactful, resilient and flexible with a sense of humour.

Customer services managers need to be able to motivate their staff, and must pay attention to detail. Numeracy and keyboard skills may be required for preparing budgets and producing statistical reports.

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Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Customer services managers earn in the range of £22,000 - £27,500 a year, rising to £32,000 - £45,000. Higher earners can make around £60,000 a year.

Hours of work for customer services managers vary depending on the type of organisation they work for. Many work 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday, and some may be required to work Saturdays. Those who work in call centres may be required to work shifts.

Employers throughout the UK include banks, building societies, insurance companies and public utilities such as gas, electricity and water companies.

Other employers include local authority departments, large retail outlets, such as department stores and supermarkets, mail order companies, and public transport providers.

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Adult Opportunities

It is now illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Modern Apprenticeships may be available in some areas.

Some companies recruit graduates (any degree) to their graduate training schemes.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (eg, Access to Business) could be the way in. These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

A number of relevant courses are available by distance learning. These include: Marketing - Customer Communications (National Extension College), Diploma in Consumer Affairs (UNISON Learning and Organising Services (LAOS)), and Managing Customers and Quality (Open University).

• 9% of customer service managers work part-time.
• 10% have flexible hours.
• 1% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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