Customer services manager
Customer service managers co-ordinate customer support operations, oversee quality control and analyse customer data to make improvements.
- Starter salary£27,000 a year
- Experienced£50,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a customer services manager, you could:
- develop policies and procedures
- lead a team of customer service staff
- handle complex questions and complaints
- manage budgets
- analyse response times and service quality
- make sure work practices follow customer data protection rules
- help to recruit, train and assess new staff
- work on ways to improve customer service
Working environment
You could work in an office.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- business management skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- administration skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- the ability to use your initiative
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a customer services manager
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- training with a professional body
University
You could do a degree, then apply for a graduate management trainee scheme with a company or organisation.
Most subjects are acceptable, though some employers may prefer you to have a degree in a subject relevant to their industry.
Examples include:
- business management
- retail management
- tourism and hospitality
- financial services
On a graduate scheme, you would get to experience different parts of an organisation, learning how they work, before concentrating on customer service operations.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
College
You could do a college course, which may help you to find a trainee assistant manager position.
Courses include:
- customer service
- online customer experience
- business administration
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. Once complete, you would take further training to move into a management job.
You may also be able to do a higher or degree apprenticeship in management in your particular industry. This could then lead into customer service management roles.
Many industries offer management apprenticeships, for example:
- marketing
- retail
- hospitality
- passenger transport
- finance
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
Work
You could work as a customer service adviser and train on the job to become a team supervisor, assistant manager, then manager.
There are a lot of customer service training courses and your employer would advise you on which ones are the most relevant to the industry you work in.
Other routes
You could choose to do general management qualifications to help you get into this career.
These qualifications are offered by professional bodies, such as the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Chartered Management Institute .
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- move into a more senior position
- take on responsibility for customer service across a region
- become a customer service director for a whole organisation
- work in business development, business finance or legal compliance
Professional and industry bodies
You could join The Institute of Customer Service to use their resources and find professional development training opportunities.
Guides for this industry
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