Can You Manage It?

Being a customer service manager isn’t a job for everyone. It involves communicating with employees and the general public. Customers service managers must have strong authority skills, but what else is needed?

Customer service managers supervise and manage all customer service employees. Duties can include the following: observing and evaluating workers, hiring and training employees, firing employees and communicating with other departments and managers. They are also expected to make sure customers' needs and expectations are satisfied. The work could also consist of managing a team of customer service advisors and training staff to give a higher standard of service. They could look for ways to improve standards, setting up customer feedbacks or complaint procedures. They are responsible for meeting goals in customer service.

What kind of training is needed? The requirements vary from company to company. A high school diploma is required for this position. Some employers want employees with associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. Applicants should also have basic knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and business and management principals. Some employers ask for qualifications in English and math’s. There could be an advantage in having a degree in business, management or marketing. Other companies may consider people skills and work experience more important than academic qualifications. It also helps to have a genuine interest in helping customers with a polite and tactful but assertive attitude. Patience and staying calm under pressure, as well as the ability to handle complaints and difficult situations gracefully, is an asset. Most training is about the company and its products, most commonly asked questions, using the computer and telephone skills. Although training can last several weeks or it may take only a few days. Customer service managers do, however, receive frequent training sessions to stay current with the industry.

What kind of skills are required? The customer service representative has to have good organizational and planning skills. They have to have the ability to lead and motivate a team. They have to have excellent problem solving and decision making ability and excellent communication skills. They know how to keep customers happy and diffuse potentially volatile situations and rowdy customers. Having good social skills is a must because of communicating with people, teaching people and providing service to others. They will be setting necessary routines and procedures that need to be followed. Speaking clearly and professionally, listening, reading, writing and understanding information that is relayed is a strong priority.

Good customer service skills are important to all industries. If you have what it takes to make a good customer service manager, look into it. It could be the job you're looking for!

Comments are welcome, as always.

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and for CSJobs.com. More of her blogs can be found at CSJobsblog.com.