What Does a Customer Service Director Do?
Just as the name suggests, the customer service director is the leader of a customer service department. They are responsible for training new employees and overseeing existing employees on their team. Their list of responsibilities may include things like setting team goals, monitoring progress, and training staff members. They will create and implement policies and procedures for dealing with customers and ensure that all interactions run smoothly.
Customer service directors must have an eye for detail and an abundance of patience. Dealing with disgruntled customers can be extremely frustrating and draining, and these directors should be well-versed in de-escalation tactics to keep customers happy.
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National Average Salary
Customer service director salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for a Customer Service Director is:
$106,200
Customer Service Director Job Descriptions
When it comes to recruiting a customer service director, having the right job description can make a big difference. Here are some real world job descriptions you can use as templates for your next opening.
Example 1
[Your company name] needs a dedicated customer service director who can operate efficiently under pressure and meet strict deadlines. You will be in a fast-paced work environment, working with other management team members to develop goals for our team of customer service representatives. Additional responsibilities will be training new customer service representatives, supervising existing customer service representatives, resolving customer issues, and occasionally giving presentations to your department. If you have excellent leadership skills, a desire to assist others, and an eye for detail, this job is for you.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Train new customer service representatives
- Supervise existing team members
- Working with other management team members to create and implement customer service department goals
- Resolve customer complaints
- Create and implement policies and procedures to facilitate a quality customer service experience
- Recruit and interview new hires
Education and experience
- B.S. in business administration or a related field
- 10 year minimum of experience working in customer service
- Minimum of 5 years in a supervisory position
Required skills and qualifications
- Excellent problem-solving skills
- Comfortable working with upper management
- Excellent organization skills
- Ability to perform under pressure
- Excellent customer service skills
- Superb listening skills
- Ability to pay close attention to detail
Preferred qualifications
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or other software
- B.S. degree in business administration or related field
- Excellent supervisory and leadership skills
- Prior management skills are highly preferred
- Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time
Example 2
A key player on the ABC Company leadership team, the Customer Service Director will create and drive the strategy for the Customer Service Organization to impact customer satisfaction, process improvements, and talent and culture initiatives. The Customer Service Director will lead a multi-site team that support the daily management of the entire customer facing value stream from order entry to invoicing.
Key responsibilities
- Develop strategy and establish customer service-related programs for ABC Company
- Oversee and coordinate cross-functionally the resolution of most complex issues and concerns
- Manage all activities associated with incoming customer service operations, including developing and implementing policies and procedures. Ensures continuous improvement of processes, systems, and communications
- Improve customer service experience, create engaged customers and facilitate organic growth
- Apply 80/20 principles to organize and serve our customers
- Lead Customer Service teams at multiple North America locations and drive talent and culture initiatives to develop a high-performing team
- Keep ahead of industry’s developments and apply best practices to areas of improvement
- Control resources and utilize assets to achieve qualitative and quantitative KPIs and monthly service level
- Maintain an orderly workflow according to priorities
- Provide hiring, promotion, and disciplinary recommendations, as well as performance evaluation and feedback for direct reports
Professional experience/qualifications
- Minimum 10+ years experience in customer service or related field
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent related experience (Master’s preferred)
- Performs well in a team setting with collaborative input and decision making
- Cross functional collaboration with a diverse and multi-functional team
- Must be a self-starter, capable of maneuvering through a multi-segmented organization, and drive results without a direct reporting structure
- Demonstrated success leading a team; previous experience leading supervisors is a plus
- Working knowledge of customer service software, databases, and tools
- Ability to think strategically and to lead
- Strong client-facing and communication skills
- Advanced troubleshooting and multi-tasking skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Travel: ability to travel 25-40% of the time
Example 3
As the Customer Service Operations Director, you will drive to recruit a senior leader in the US (Boston-based preferably – as part of US HQ) which is important for diversity of opinions and the expertise. We are looking for somebody who was or still is in a fast-growing and/or public company. Strong Ops person to focus on metrics and help control and drive improvements globally and who will contribute positively to external valuation.
Every member of our “A-Team” has an instrumental role and impact on the success of ABC Company’s innovative and growing business, so we are looking for someone who enjoys working in dynamic, global teams and thrives in a fast-paced and rapidly changing work environment. Just like everyone at ABC Company, the ideal candidate will embody all of our company values: responsive, alert, detail-oriented, makes decisions, and never gives up.
What you’ll do
- Carry out operational benchmarking and implement best practices to ensure world-class operations
- Drive continuous improvement projects through change management across the business; design Support workflows according to ABC Company strategic goals and aimed at customer excellence and world-class partner experience
- Identify ‘rhythm of business’ within the ABC Company Support Department to maximize how members leverage their time, collaborate effectively and perform tasks
- Improve tools for data collection, measurement and analysis of ABC Company Support Department activities (maintain efficient structure of scorecards and dashboards)
- Solve key operational needs of team members
- Overseeing the adoption of the ABC Company Support Department’s vision, goals, and objectives
- Assist with the design and rollout of new support channels and service offerings
- Take part in forecasting and budgeting and track the actual performance against budget
- Build and maintain a network of vendors, resources, and consultants to augment existing capabilities and to use as appropriate
- Assist with the logistics and coordination of 3rd party Support function merge during M&A
- Participating in globally acknowledge Customer Service awards and competitions
- Assist in overseeing and preventing Support systems incidents and in handling high-profile customer and partner escalations
- Work closely with VP of Global Support to align project plans and define key metrics for results
What you bring
- “Hands on” leadership for support functions with a proven track of operational improvements
- Experience in channel business models environment. SaaS, cloud experience is a plus.
- Demonstrated understanding of common customer service tools and processes
- Experience in managing cross-team projects to completion
- Ability to interact effectively at all levels of an organization and cross functionally, influence, and advocate on behalf of customers and support experts.
- Global experience including leading remote teams
- Adaptability and ability to manage change
- Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field is preferred
- Understanding of principles of Six Sigma or participation in COPC certification is a plus
- Experience in M&A is a great advantage
- Strong internal customer focus with desire to learn all aspects of the business
- High level of discipline, attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment while still maintaining a high-level of accuracy
- Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
- Outstanding organizational, problem solving, and multitasking skills
- Team-player and positive attitude, eager to do more and help out, views challenging situations as opportunities
- Self-motivated, proactive, and able to work with minimal supervision
- Passion and commitment to succeed by working hard and never giving up
Example 4
At ABC Company, we are obsessed with our customers, and we want to provide them the best experiences and interactions possible! We are looking for a Director of Customer Service on our Operations team to lead ABC Company’s new off-site operations function. You must have managerial experience and understand the key processes and strategies for running and scaling a successful call center. You must be able to work independently to resolve both customer and associate issues, and be comfortable responding to issues via phone, email, and text.
Responsibilities
- Lead a 24/7 team of customer service representatives, including hiring, scheduling, training, coaching, motivating, providing feedback, and handling customer escalations
- Develop strategy for collecting, analyzing, and improving upon key call center metrics (e.g. Average Handle Time, Customer Satisfaction, and Conversion)
- Build out new policies and procedures to support our on-site teams and guests
- Work with key stakeholders to implement new service strategies across all customer touchpoints
- Triage unresolved issues to different teams by communicating the customer’s issues effectively
- Escalate any relevant customer issues to management within the appropriate ABC Company corporate departments and work to implement new processes and procedures
- Become an expert in ABC Company’s properties and policies
- Engage with customers via phone, email, and text to proactively solve issue and address complaints
- Setup and resolve problems with customer accounts, including reservation and payment information
- Work in multiple company systems and tools, including Customer Relationship Management and Property Management Systems.
- Additional duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications
- You have 7+ years of hotel operations management or reservations experience. Call center experience in the hospitality space preferred
- You have managed a team of customer facing associates, driving to key metrics such as Average Handle Time, Customer Satisfaction, and Conversion
- You have familiarity with customer service functions including training, knowledge management, QA, workforce management, and human resources
- You enjoy working cross functionally to identify trends and implement long term changes to positively impact guest and property team experience
- You understand what it takes to build a robust customer and associate service center
- You have a high level of professionalism and interpersonal skills that can embody the core values of ABC Company
- You have strong computer skills and are able to learn multiple software systems relatively easily, including experience with VOIP, Customer Relationship Management, and Property Management Systems
- You own it. You make it better. You treat people right.
Candidate Certifications to Look For
- Certified Customer Service Specialist (CSS). The CSS covers topics like safety, ethics, respect, teamwork, communication, telephone and email techniques, problem-solving, interpersonal relationships, and sales and marketing. Candidates must pass an oral or written exam.
- Certified Customer Service Manager. CSIA’s Certified Customer Service Manager course can be earned by completing a 1,000 to a 1,500-word book review on any business book, an article on a current trend in customer experience (also between 1,000 and 1,500 words), completion of a CSIA webinar, and completion of an approved course. Recertification is required every 12 months and consists of a writing prompt assignment, an online exam, and a recertification fee.
- Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCEP). The priority of CCSP is focusing on customer interactions, the foundations of service, and other related topics like HR practices and coaching.
Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSP). The CCSP requires 2 years of customer service experience. Candidates must pass an oral or written exam. Recertification is not required. - Certified Client Service Specialist (CCSS). The CCSS course consists of four parts: membership, completion of an accredited program, exam, and upholding of designation. 25 hours of continuing education is required every three years.
Sample Interview Questions
- What is your preferred method to motivate your team members to achieve demanding performance standards?
- Tell me about your preferred management style.
- How would you handle an underperforming staff member?
- How do you improve work processes in your customer service department?
- How do you identify and fix customer service problems within your department?
- What do you consider the most important factor in measuring customer satisfaction?
- How do you use data to improve the level of customer service in your department?
- What is the key to building a good customer service team?
- How do you bring together and motivate a diverse customer service department to work together as a team?
- Who was your most disgruntled customer? What methods did you use to resolve and de-escalate the situation?
- How do you organize, plan and prioritize your work?
- Which new technology do you find to be most helpful in your work as a customer service director?
- What steps do you take to ensure your company is compliant with all laws, regulations, and applicable standards to your area of responsibility?
- What is an effective approach to working with a large amount of information or data? How is it beneficial to your company?
- How do you successfully coordinate with others? Do you have an example?
- What methods do you use to monitor the performance of your team and yourself?
- What techniques do you use when recruiting, interviewing, or hiring an employee?
- What steps do you take to ensure that you effectively manage your time as a customer service director?
- Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to help a customer.
- What is the key to success when communicating with the public?
