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What does a customer relationship manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a customer relationship manager do

A customer relationship manager is in charge of overseeing teams that handle and provide services to a company's key clients. It is their duty to spearhead programs and projects that cater to key clients, ensuring to build positive relationships with them. They must also develop strategies to optimize operations and research new business opportunities. Furthermore, as a customer relationship manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

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Customer relationship manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real customer relationship manager resumes:

  • Exceed commercial loan and swap origination goals while simultaneously managing rehabilitation strategies for criticize bank assets.
  • Determine borrower eligibility for assistance / repayment plans (monthly income / NPV calculations).
  • Assist borrowers on default with repayment plans, modifications, short sale or DIL process.
  • default, loan modifications, document validation, NPV modeling, and second mortgage modifications).
  • Assist customers with various workout strategies for home retention including modifications for HFI and SFO loans.
  • Track homeowner's adherence to FHA HAMP forbearance plan and directly intervene when a homeowner are at risk of default.
  • Develop strategies to improve process flow, reduce SLA exceptions, create and implement scripts to increase call quality scores.
  • Adhere to regulations establish by FHA and the bank to ensure a timely and effective decision is reached for the borrower.
  • Provide SLA management and escalation management.
  • Implement CRM application strategy to support corporate objectives and financial goals.
  • Supervised/Train office personnel in CRM; use of business intellectual capital, company protocol.
  • Cultivate strong working relationships with clients using trust, asset management, treasury management and portfolio management concepts.
  • Conduct implementation marketing calls to discuss marketing options and identify additional product cross-selling opportunities to enhance volume and create new customers.
  • Administer services for each relationship, including coordination, execution, and monitoring of relate securities processing.
  • Identify new areas of revenue generation, process and audit securities transactions, and evaluate project effectiveness using predetermine criteria.

Customer relationship manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 24% of Customer Relationship Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Customer Relationships, and CRM. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Customer-service skills, and Analytical skills.

We break down the percentage of Customer Relationship Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 24%

    Mentored select salespeople that showed promised for increased productivity if given a proper education on key areas of customer service.

  • Customer Relationships, 16%

    Develop customer relationship strategies, including growth and retention plans - Cultivate customer relationships throughout various departments, including Executive levels.

  • CRM, 13%

    Supervised/trained office personnel in CRM; use of business intellectual capital, company protocol.

  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%

    Increased monthly billing by expanding add-on services, effectively renewing contracts and striving to continually increase customer satisfaction / added value.

  • Lieu, 4%

    Negotiate terms of liquidation workouts as well, such as Short Sales, Deed in Lieu's or Cash for Keys.

  • Outbound Calls, 3%

    Received inbound customer status request calls & completed outbound calls under strict monitoring requirements.

Common skills that a customer relationship manager uses to do their job include "customer service," "customer relationships," and "crm." You can find details on the most important customer relationship manager responsibilities below.

Leadership skills. One of the key soft skills for a customer relationship manager to have is leadership skills. You can see how this relates to what customer relationship managers do because "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." Additionally, a customer relationship manager resume shows how customer relationship managers use leadership skills: "created a comprehensive program to assist crm's in job role which is being considered for company-wide use by senior leadership. "

Customer-service skills. Many customer relationship manager duties rely on customer-service skills. "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs.," so a customer relationship manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways customer relationship manager responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "obtained credit reports, inspections, surveys, and title work contacted customer with any questions or concerns. "

Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of customer relationship managers is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday customer relationship manager duties, as "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "pulled and analyzed credit reports, identifying subordinate liens and fact checking expense sheets. "

Communication skills. For certain customer relationship manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a customer relationship manager rely on this skill, as "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what customer relationship managers do: "developed key customer relationships and work flow procedures with national accounts by providing daily reporting and communication. "

All customer relationship manager skills

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Compare different customer relationship managers

Customer relationship manager vs. Project coordinator

Project coordinators act as the liaising body between different departments involved in a specific project. They are members of the group assigned to work together for special projects or undertakings that will benefit the organization. Project coordinators join meetings of the special committee, from planning to evaluation. They take notes and jot down action plans. They ensure that the committee members assigned to do specific tasks are doing so. They also guarantee project success by ensuring that the people involved in the project are working well together.

If we compare the average customer relationship manager annual salary with that of a project coordinator, we find that project coordinators typically earn a $28,439 lower salary than customer relationship managers make annually.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between customer relationship managers and project coordinator. For instance, customer relationship manager responsibilities require skills such as "customer relationships," "crm," "customer satisfaction," and "lieu." Whereas a project coordinator is skilled in "project management," "powerpoint," "data entry," and "purchase orders." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Project coordinators tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $61,667. In contrast, customer relationship managers make the biggest average salary, $85,424, in the technology industry.On average, project coordinators reach similar levels of education than customer relationship managers. Project coordinators are 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Customer relationship manager vs. Client service supervisor

A client service supervisor oversees and spearheads the efforts put into providing an efficient service to clients. They are primarily in charge of managing a company's client service team, monitoring their progress to ensure a smooth workflow and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include setting goals and objectives, overseeing budgets and schedules, developing strategies to optimize operations, and assisting staff in complicated situations. Above all, a client service supervisor must address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

On average, client service supervisors earn a $30,025 lower salary than customer relationship managers a year.A few skills overlap for customer relationship managers and client service supervisors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "customer satisfaction," "federal laws," and "customer inquiries. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that customer relationship manager responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "customer relationships," "crm," and "lieu." But a client service supervisor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "background checks," "cash handling," "client orders," and "pet."

Client service supervisors earn a lower average salary than customer relationship managers. But client service supervisors earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $61,731. Additionally, customer relationship managers earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $85,424 annually.In general, client service supervisors achieve similar levels of education than customer relationship managers. They're 3.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Customer relationship manager vs. Customer service director

A customer service director is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts in customer service operations. It is their duty to establish goals and guidelines that will usher the workforce in building strong and positive relationships with clients, develop strategies to optimize procedures, identify the strengths and weaknesses of current processes, implement solutions, and conduct research to find new business and client opportunities. Furthermore, as a director, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

On average, customer service directors earn higher salaries than customer relationship managers, with a $56,148 difference per year.By looking over several customer relationship managers and customer service directors resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "crm," "customer satisfaction," and "inbound calls." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, customer relationship managers are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "customer relationships," "lieu," and "outbound calls." But a customer service director is more likely to have skills like "customer support," "continuous improvement," "project management," and "employee development."

Customer service directors make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $138,169. On the other hand, customer relationship managers are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $85,424.Most customer service directors achieve a similar degree level compared to customer relationship managers. For example, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Customer relationship manager vs. Office manager

Office managers oversee the entire workplace. They maintain office processes and services to ensure that everything is running well. They manage office supplies by managing inventory and procurement procedures. They also device filing systems, create needed and relevant office policies, and ensure that all the policies are being followed. As a way to make sure that the office is in top shape, office managers supervise most of the logistical aspects inside the office. They also provide support to both management teams and the rest of the employees. They often act as the bridge between the two and would sometimes even assist in the training of new employees.

Office managers typically earn lower pay than customer relationship managers. On average, office managers earn a $35,419 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, customer relationship managers and office managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "customer accounts," and "customer inquiries. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between customer relationship managers and office managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a customer relationship manager might have more use for skills like "customer relationships," "crm," "customer satisfaction," and "lieu." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of office managers require skills like "patients," "office operations," "office equipment," and "scheduling appointments. "

The construction industry tends to pay the highest salaries for office managers, with average annual pay of $53,450. Comparatively, the highest customer relationship manager annual salary comes from the technology industry.In general, office managers hold lower degree levels compared to customer relationship managers. Office managers are 5.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of customer relationship manager

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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