Customer Service Jobs are one of the most social jobs on the market. That is to say, they greatly involve interacting face-to-face and electronically with other people, unlike operations managers who spend most of their time working with company facilities and equipment. Customer Service Managers use their hospitality training to both retain their clientele and attract new customers.
A Customer Service Manager's duties are all hospitality-oriented. This manager meets with clients, speaks to them on the phone, responds to customer queries, resolves customer complaints, hires customer-service staff members, trains staff members in customer-service techniques, and implements customer-service regulations. This manager is also well versed in phone etiquette and e-mail etiquette, especially when responding to customer complaints. In addition, this manager handles inquiries that may entail a minor response—such as checking on the status of an order—as well as those that require the manager to do more research. Moreover, it is often a Customer Service Manager's duty to update sales managers on customer feedback, which helps sales staff tailor sales techniques to customer needs.
Many different industries rely on Customer Service Managers to cope with customers at large, and be the go-to people for customer questions and complaints. For instance, restaurants have general managers who walk through the restaurant at regular intervals to ensure that customers are happy with their meals and service. If a customer complains about either, the general manager will perhaps provide a discount on their meal or re-cook their food at no additional cost. The person who has a General Manager Job will be an excellent problem-solver who is able to handle the responsibility of providing customer-satisfaction to all tables, while troubleshooting any problems in the kitchen and bar.
Certain Construction Manager Jobs likewise have an emphasis on customer-service. Construction managers interact with customers on their building needs, address any questions or concerns, and negotiate payment. Unlike general managers, construction managers often work one-on-one with individual clients as they go from one building project to another. In contrast, a general manager has to ensure quality service to an entire restaurant of people throughout a given day.
Even businesses that do not deal directly with people appoint Customer Service Managers to communicate with outsiders. Companies that act as vendors to other companies have Customer Service Managers who communicate with those who purchase goods from the wholesale company. For instance, a wholesale clothing distributor often hires a Customer Service Representative to speak with another Customer Service Manager at retail clothing store. Together, these managers negotiate the purchase of wholesale goods for the retail store. The same goes for a wholesale food company, whose customer-service representatives negotiate food payment and delivery with restaurants. Customer-service representatives at these wholesale companies may also communicate with consumers who have questions about their products.
Since they hold managerial positions, Customer Service Managers often proceed through more education and training before they qualify for those positions. They commonly have senior-level customer-service experience with high recommendations from previous employers on their friendliness, efficiency, problem-solving, and customer-feedback.
Many Customer Service Managers have a bachelor's degree, a requirement that is waived for most customer-service representatives. In college, they often major in hospitality management, social sciences, and many other fields. If they aspire to be a construction manager, they often major in construction science or engineering. Many general managers choose to major in hospitality management or food science, if they want to manage hotels or restaurants.
Recruiters often give equal, if not higher, weight to extensive customer-service experience that can attest to an applicant's job readiness. All aspiring managers should get as much experience in the customer-service field as possible, whether through part-time or full-time work, internships, or apprenticeships.
Following college, Customer Service Managers often proceed to graduate school, where they may earn Master's of Business Administration (MBA) if they seek business-centered management positions. Again, those who want to manage other fields often pursue advanced degrees related to their industry. For instance, general managers may procure an MBA or a Master's of Public Administration (MPA). For their part, construction managers often obtain a construction science and management degree that comprehensively prepares them for management work.
Customer Service Managers, on average, make $40,000 per year at an entry-level. Furthermore, their type of industry has an influence on their income, as construction managers make roughly $99,000 per year and general managers make about $45,000 in their first few years of work. Seniority and promotions greatly figure into the raise of Customer Service Manager salaries.
Customer Service Managers can be rest assured that customer-service jobs continue to thrive in the global economy. In fact, many Customer Service Jobs have more jobs than they can fill, which is the reverse situation for many other industries. Furthermore, growth in business, construction, tourism, and other industries have generated huge job growth. Customer Service Managers who have master's degrees, are bilingual, and well seasoned in customer-service work will enjoy the best job prospects.