Post job

What does a customer service/operations manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Eric Olsen
What does a customer service/operations manager do

A customer service/operations manager is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the efforts of a customer service team, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include setting goals and objectives, establishing guidelines and schedules, managing the employees, creating new programs for customers, and developing strategies to optimize customer service operations. They may also participate in reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, resolving issues promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

On this page

Customer service/operations manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real customer service/operations manager resumes:

  • Coordinate and participate with the installation teams to help troubleshoot problems and resolve customer concerns while managing service and commissioning engineers.
  • Develop and implement the department's call QA process and monitoring form.
  • Develop and improve business practices for customer service, support, field operations and QA operations.
  • Present information to upper management and key leaders in the organization via PowerPoint and teleconference services that are engaging and forward-thinking.
  • Implement an ACD phone distribution and monitoring program.
  • Create and implement new procedures and reporting tools that resolve EDI order errors.
  • Implement CISCO VOIP platform for call center initiatives and IVR technology, reducing operational costs by $2MM annually.
  • Improve data accuracy by developing and implementing EDI exception report identifying data transaction errors.
  • Assess the company's ACD and IVR capabilities and recommend efficiency improving enhancements to replace outdate technology.
  • Design and engineer station sortation layout to maximize productivity and to integrate new home delivery process in station during holiday season.

Customer service/operations manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 11% of Customer Service/Operations Managers are proficient in Customer Satisfaction, ISO, and Logistics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Management skills, and Time-management skills.

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

  • Customer Satisfaction, 11%

    Increased profitability of company and increased customer satisfaction by developing a productivity tracking and reporting system and increasing employee training.

  • ISO, 7%

    Authored all documentation of ISO utilization and compliance.

  • Logistics, 6%

    Interacted with customers to provide them with information to address inquiries regarding sporting/concert tickets and logistics.

  • Customer Service, 6%

    Facilitated company cross-functional meetings to represent Customer Service team's interests and responsibilities; acting as customer advocate in appropriate forums.

  • Payroll, 5%

    Managed payroll hours to ensure maximum productivity.

  • Process Improvement, 5%

    Identify and implement process improvement opportunities, resulting in increased efficiency and customer service levels, while improving internal control procedures.

Common skills that a customer service/operations manager uses to do their job include "customer satisfaction," "iso," and "logistics." You can find details on the most important customer service/operations manager responsibilities below.

Leadership skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a customer service/operations manager to have is leadership skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "top executives must be able to shape and direct an organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources." Customer service/operations managers often use leadership skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provide quality operational leadership for a core staff of csrs and supervisors who handle over 4000 inbound calls per month. "

Time-management skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of customer service/operations managers is time-management skills. This skill is critical to many everyday customer service/operations manager duties, as "top executives do many tasks concurrently to ensure that their work gets done and that the organization meets its goals." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "meet daily deadlines including financial document screening, account inventory management, physical inventory management, and mail processing. "

Communication skills. A big part of what customer service/operations managers do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to customer service/operations manager responsibilities because "top executives must be able to convey information clearly and persuasively." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical customer service/operations manager tasks: "managed quality communication, customer support and product presentation for each client. "

Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a customer service/operations manager to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what customer service/operations managers relies on this skill, since "top executives need to identify and resolve issues within an organization." How this skill relates to customer service/operations manager duties can be seen in an example from a customer service/operations manager resume snippet: "coordinated training programs in customer relations and problem resolution. "

Most common customer service/operations manager skills

The three companies that hire the most customer service/operations managers are:

Compare different customer service/operations managers

Customer service/operations manager vs. Manager, center operations

The duties of a manager of center operations depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing business operations, setting targets, assessing the workforce's performance, and performing corrective measures on any issues or concerns. Moreover, there are also instances where they have to produce progress reports, devise strategies for optimal business performance, delegate tasks, and even manage the budget. As a manager, it is crucial to lead and encourage the team to reach goals and sales targets while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

The annual salary of managers, center operations is $8,291 lower than the average salary of customer service/operations managers.Even though customer service/operations managers and managers, center operations are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require customer satisfaction, iso, and process improvement in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between customer service/operations managers and manager, center operations. For instance, customer service/operations manager responsibilities require skills such as "logistics," "customer service," "payroll," and "human resources." Whereas a manager, center operations is skilled in "infrastructure," "osha," "standard operating procedure," and "quality standards." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Managers, center operations really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $68,400. Comparatively, customer service/operations managers tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $67,456.managers, center operations tend to reach higher levels of education than customer service/operations managers. In fact, managers, center operations are 5.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Customer service/operations manager vs. Operations support manager

Operations Support Managers are employees who handle different support initiatives for the employees or operations-related departments. These support initiatives may come in people management and upskilling, IT infrastructure assistance, or process improvement, among others. Operations Support Managers must have a deep understanding of company operations and the employees' needs. They manage processes and standards to ensure that company operations are fully supported and will not be disrupted. They resolve concerns and anticipate problems that may come. They can plan and create safeguards to ensure that such problems will not arise in the future.

Operations support manager positions earn higher pay than customer service/operations manager roles. They earn a $10,380 higher salary than customer service/operations managers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both customer service/operations managers and operations support managers have skills such as "customer satisfaction," "iso," and "customer service. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real customer service/operations manager resumes. While customer service/operations manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "logistics," "credit card," "customer complaints," and "customer orders," operations support managers use skills like "project management," "professional development," "support operations," and "post implementation."

On average, operations support managers earn a higher salary than customer service/operations managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, operations support managers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $68,847. Whereas customer service/operations managers have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $67,456.In general, operations support managers achieve higher levels of education than customer service/operations managers. They're 5.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for customer service/operations managers in the next 3-5 years?

Eric OlsenEric Olsen LinkedIn profile

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

We are doubling down on what we call "digital fabrication." Most manufacturing technologies we deal with now have a growing digital component that our students need to understand and be competent in. Of course, that means current hot exotics like additive manufacturing, but our students need to look at any process and realize there is probably a digitally enhanced path forward.

Customer service/operations manager vs. Operations program manager

The role of operations program managers is to help improve organizational efficiency, particularly in the areas of administrative, financial, and programmatic operations. Their key duties and responsibilities include overseeing the collection, analysis, and reporting of data, overseeing and leading teams to achieve business goals, and managing the development and execution of operational procedures. In addition, they are responsible for developing and monitoring dashboards to measure business health and assisting with planning, reporting, and budgeting.

An average operations program manager eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of customer service/operations managers. The difference in salaries amounts to operations program managers earning a $42,028 higher average salary than customer service/operations managers.customer service/operations managers and operations program managers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer satisfaction," "iso," and "logistics," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, customer service/operations managers are more likely to have skills like "payroll," "customer care," "credit card," and "customer complaints." But a operations program manager is more likely to have skills like "project management," "program management," "continuous improvement," and "infrastructure."

Operations program managers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $109,929. Customer service/operations managers earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $67,456.When it comes to education, operations program managers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to customer service/operations managers. In fact, they're 11.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Customer service/operations manager vs. Operations project manager

An operations project manager is responsible for monitoring the performance of the project team, ensuring that the operations meet the clients' standards and internal regulations with maximum productivity and efficiency. Operations project managers manage the department's budget and allocate materials and resources accurately, maintaining a record of expenses and costs forecasting. They coordinate with the clients, discussing project adjustments or additional tasks as needed, and lead project execution and deliverables by determining the team's needs and concerns, and enforcing strategic procedures.

Operations project managers tend to earn a higher pay than customer service/operations managers by an average of $21,002 per year.While both customer service/operations managers and operations project managers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer satisfaction, iso, and logistics, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A customer service/operations manager uses "payroll," "performance reviews," "customer care," and "credit card." Operations project managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "project management," "business operations," "risk management," and "business process. "operations project managers enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $90,596. For comparison, customer service/operations managers earn the highest salary in the finance industry.operations project managers reach higher levels of education compared to customer service/operations managers, in general. The difference is that they're 8.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of customer service/operations 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.

Browse executive management jobs