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Job description: Customer Services Manager

As the Customer Services Manager, your role will involve getting the best out of your staff to provide customers with the best experience possible.

Taking charge leading a team is your main responsibility. You'd have to supervise and motivate your team to make sure customers are handled in a friendly, useful and professional way.

It's equally important for you to build knowledge and understanding of products and policies. This can then be passed on to your staff.

A typical day involves many duties, which would vary depending on where you work. These could be building effective customer relations, staff recruitment and appraisals, working arrangements, staff meetings, and training and development programmes. More complex customer enquiries, complaints, and any crises such as security issues would also be part of your role.

Other duties vary depending on the type and size of the organisation, but the job can include financial responsibilities, stock ordering and taking part in special customer promotions or events.

Hours and environment

As standard, your working week would be 37 hours spread over 5 days, possibly including weekend work. Supermarkets, other out-of-town retail outlets, garages, airports and hotels are often open late or in some cases 24 hours a day, so your working hours would vary depending on your employer. If you're looking for job-sharing or part-time work, this is widely available.

When having to deal with a number of different enquiries and situations in a short space of time, your work could be quite pressurised. For the majority of your time you will be working from an office or customer services desk.

Formal dress or a uniform might be needed in some cases, particularly if you deal with customers face to face regularly.

Skills and interests

To be a good Customer Services Manager, you must have:

a genuine interest in working with and helping customers
good communication skills
the ability to supervise and motivate staff in a team
good presentation and a polite, tactful and friendly character
a good understanding of numbers and planning
the ability to be flexible, decisive and quick-thinking
the ability to handle complaints and difficult situations in a patient, calm and effective way.
an understanding of computer systems and cash registers, for some jobs

Entry

You'll need a good general educational background to work in customer service. Some organisations require you to have two to four GCSEs (A-C)/three to five S grades (1-3), including English and maths. Others would give priority to you if you posses an NVQ/SVQ Level 2 or 3 in Customer Service or Management, and some large organisations want higher qualifications such as an A level/Scottish Higher or Intermediate GNVQ/GSVQ level II.

You can benefit from having a degree, as some employers operate a fast-track management scheme for graduates. Entry to a degree course is with five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) plus two A levels/three Highers. Equivalent qualifications may be accepted.

An Access to Higher Education qualification may also be accepted for entry to certain courses. If experienced in a related field, you can gain recognition of skills through Accredited Prior Learning (APL). Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements.

Before you become a Customer Services Manager, it's likely that you'd need previous experience of working in a customer services team. Often you can be promoted from within an organisation to the role.

Training

Training would usually be given to you on the job by your employer. If you entered a larger organisation, it would often have its own structured in-house management training programmes.

Your training may include in-house assessment for NVQ levels 3 and 4 in Customer Service, or Institute of Customer Service (ICS) Professional Awards in Communication, Solutions and Innovations (if your employer is a member of ICS).

You could also choose to work towards general management qualifications from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) or the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Opportunities

Your choices are open if you wish to become a Customer Services Manager. There is a wide range of industries available, particularly in retail, banking and insurance, leisure and tourism, IT, telecommunications, transport and local government.

With experience, you could progress into senior management. In some industries, you could move into sales or account handling. Good customer service skills are in demand in all industries, so you could also use your skills to move into other careers of your choice.

Annual income

At trainee level, you'd usually earn between £16,000 and £20,000 a year and with experience this would rise to a salary of £20,000 to £40,000 a year. In a large organisation, you could earn up to £60,000 a year as a Senior Manager.

Bonuses or commission may also be paid in the retail trade.