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What is a customer operations manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Eric Olsen

A customer operation manager has to handle all operation issues, set targets, and make sure these targets are met to satisfy customer needs. In this position, you will provide advice and guidance to staff members in dispensing their services to customers. This may include assisting staff with organizing schedules, assigning duties and assignments, and ensuring these tasks are effectively managed.

The customer operation manager may also be required to recommend staff to be hired, create promotions and ideas to develop the company in the areas of customer service.

A customer operation manager also keeps a record of customers' requests and details of actions taken on these requests. They manage customer accounts as well and work to avoid discrepancies. They also have to give reports to the directors of the company.

You will need a bachelor's degree in business administration and any other related field to work in this position. Some of the necessary traits that you need to display in this position may also include good administrative skills, excellent communication, and the ability to lead a team successfully. The average yearly salary of a customer operation manager is $102,000.

What general advice would you give to a customer operations manager?

Eric OlsenEric Olsen LinkedIn profile

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

Times of change are also times of great opportunities. We are going to need new technical solutions to address problems we are just learning about. You have to lean into the issues. Don't be a technologist - be a problem solver. That is why we also emphasize soft skills like lean six sigma, teamwork, and change management.
ScoreCustomer Operations ManagerUS Average
Salary
7.9

Avg. Salary $111,914

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.35%

Black or African American 6.16%

Hispanic or Latino 15.12%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.56%

Gender

female 40.22%

male 59.78%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Customer operations manager career paths

Key steps to become a customer operations manager

  1. Explore customer operations manager education requirements

    Most common customer operations manager degrees

    Bachelor's

    67.7 %

    Associate

    14.4 %

    Master's

    10.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific customer operations manager skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Operations8.97%
    Logistics8.45%
    Project Management6.34%
    Process Improvement5.79%
    Customer Support4.27%
  3. Complete relevant customer operations manager training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New customer operations managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a customer operations manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real customer operations manager resumes.
  4. Research customer operations manager duties and responsibilities

    • Develop, manage, and monitor employee training in accordance with company and ISO standards.
    • Manage and direct activities with third party logistics partners, two in the U.S. and one in Europe.
    • Manage and coordinate departmental CRM software platform transition and establish best practices and SLA expectations.
    • Spearhead inaugural inbound/outbound telesales CRM initiatives to achieve greater usage of open home equity lines of credit.
  5. Prepare your customer operations manager resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your customer operations manager resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a customer operations manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable customer operations manager resume templates

    Build a professional customer operations manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your customer operations manager resume.
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    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
    Customer Operations Manager Resume
  6. Apply for customer operations manager jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a customer operations manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first customer operations manager job

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Average customer operations manager salary

The average customer operations manager salary in the United States is $111,914 per year or $54 per hour. Customer operations manager salaries range between $84,000 and $147,000 per year.

Average customer operations manager salary
$111,914 Yearly
$53.80 hourly

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How do customer operations managers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Customer operations manager reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2022
Pros

Supporting and interacting with the customers

Cons

I don’t like escalations from the customers


profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Positions cares such important function as a customer advocacy and customer servant

Cons

Operations never stops, its always up and running and you have to be available at any time


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A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

I love being able to mold my team and the distribution center to the culture of respect and accountability! Having senior and executive leadership support is a huge positive factor in making this happen!!

Cons

Long hours and calls outside of regular business hours are the norm!


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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