Do you have an interest and talent in business administration, plus enjoy building relationships with people and helping them with answers to their questions, inquiries, and needs? If so, a position as a customer service manager may be an excellent fit for you.
Customer service managers need to wear many hats. They are crucial in balancing customer satisfaction with business goals, and training and mentoring their staff of customer service associates to meet those goals.
With the need to be able to manage many different tasks, the career of a customer service manager can be a great one for a candidate who is the right fit. Candidates should be able to manage a staff of people, interact with customers professionally to gain positive outcomes, multitask, and set and meet goals that align with company needs.
Sample job description
Without talented customer service managers, companies would have a hard time keeping customers happy. Customer service managers are vital to keeping a company alive since they are the ones in charge of the customer service department. They are responsible for motivating customer service representatives to take care of their customers’ needs. Customer service managers do this by creating goals and assessing customer service personnel to find ways to increase customer satisfaction. [Your Company] is currently searching for an experienced customer service manager to be a part of their team. They’re searching for someone who is passionate about working with others and prioritizing the needs of their customers. If you’re creative and are interested in enhancing the customer experience with our team, we would recommend you apply to our open customer service manager position.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Oversee the customer service team
- Manage and train customer service associates
- Set reasonable customer satisfaction goals and work with the team to meet them consistently
- Interact with customers, responding to their questions and guiding them to the appropriate service
- Create and implement programs to improve customer service experiences
Education and experience
A bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field is required for this position.
Required skills and qualifications
- Several years of experience in customer service
- Ability to translate your skills to other employees through training and mentoring
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
Preferred qualifications
- High prioritization skills and process orientation
- Ability to embrace the mindset of continuous improvement and actively contribute to the process and procedure of the team
- Superb written and verbal communication skills
- Positive attitude, empathy, and high energy
- Strong customer-facing and presentation skills with the ability to establish credibility with executives
Typical work environment
Customer service managers are typically found working in an office setting. While they may be working independently on their computer from time to time, customer service managers are usually in meetings, where they work and collaborate with others on how to better their customer service. Depending on the industry, customer service managers may work part-time, however, most are expected to work the standard 40-hour workweek.
Typical hours
The work hours for a customer service manager are typically from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday in an office setting. However, longer or different hours may, at times, be necessary.
Available certifications
There are many certifications available that can prepare customer service managers for their role. Check out the following:
- Customer Service Manager Certificate (CSMC). This program is designed to teach previous customer service representatives how to become customer service managers. The certification will teach students how to understand various customers, the knowledge and strategies needed to create a loyal customer, and most importantly how to manage people your customers will be interacting with. Earning the Customer Service Manager Certificate is the first step to becoming a competitive applicant.
- Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP). The Certified Customer Experience Professional program offers professional recognition of people with great knowledge of customer experience discipline. Providing a positive customer experience is the number one priority as a customer service manager, so earning the CCXP will provide you with effective methods on how to enhance the customer experience. Your knowledge and your credibility will increase as you take this course since you will be able to demonstrate your continuous commitment to learning more about customers and their needs.
Career path
The career path for a customer service manager entails first earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field. While obtaining your degree, it’s always beneficial to look into additional certifications, courses, classes, internships, etc. that can bring additional knowledge and real-world experience to your background.
Customer service managers typically wear many hats and are responsible for a number of duties beyond just managing and training the customer service team. In this leadership position, you’ll set customer satisfaction goals and lead the team to meet and exceed them consistently, as well as create and manage new programs to improve customer service experiences going forward.
US, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job outlook
SOC Code: 11-3010
| 2020 Employment | 322,000 |
| Projected Employment in 2030 | 350,500 |
| Projected 2020-2030 Percentage Shift | 9% increase |
| Projected 2020-2030 Numeric Shift | 28,600 increase |
Position trends
Customer service representatives, both in-person and in customer contact centers, are often the first human voice customers encounter from the company. To that end, even with a very slight downturn forecasted over the coming years, interaction with customers is always valued, especially when done efficiently and with positive outcomes. With that ongoing need for customer service staff, having quality managers for those employees looks to be essential, if not growing at a rapid rate.