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Service manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Mandy Ulicney,

Thomas Maier Ph.D.

One of the most important hard skills a service manager can possess is ample experience with project management and customer relationship management (CRM) because these are some of the key focuses of service managers. It's also important for service managers to have the hard skill of experience with business development practices.

When it comes to soft skills, service managers should have excellent customer service skills above all else. Service managers need to communicate and coordinate with many different parties, so communication skills are also crucial.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical service manager skills. We ranked the top skills for service managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.6% of service manager resumes contained pos as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a service manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 service manager skills for your resume and career

1. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how service managers use pos:

Network Administration - Design, maintain, install regional LAN/WAN s and POS s (point of sale systems).
Received contract to assemble and build POS computers for Domino's pizza franchisees throughout USA markets by Breakaway Technologies.

2. Performance Reviews

Performance reviews refer to the official evaluation of a worker's performance done by the manager. The evaluation then helps the superior identify the worker's strengths and weaknesses and offers valuable feedback to help him overcome his shortcomings. This assessment also helps a worker set a future goal for himself and identify ways to better his future performance. Performance Reviews may be done on a monthly or yearly basis, depending on the company.

Here's how service managers use performance reviews:

Provided coaching and development to supervisors and agents, including performance reviews, scheduled monitoring sessions, recognition and disciplinary feedback.
Determine operational strategies by conducting needs assessments, performance reviews, capacity planning, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards.

3. Cash Handling

Here's how service managers use cash handling:

Focused on excellent customer service skills, cash handling procedures and office administration duties
Provided expert financial advice on personal finance -Problem resolution -Cash Handling -Monthly/Quarterly/Yearly Audits

4. Food Handling

Here's how service managers use food handling:

Maintained thorough knowledge in all sanitation and safety regulations for food handling and preparation.
Complied with food handling procedures established by the Food Service Department obtaining Serve Safe certification.

5. Cleanliness

Here's how service managers use cleanliness:

Worked extensively with Facilities Management and Engineering departments to ensure property wide cleanliness, functionality, and appearance.
Designed and implemented new inspection reports and procedures to improve building cleanliness and employee accountability.

6. Project Management

Here's how service managers use project management:

Project Management PowerPoint Communication Collaboration Research
Provided project management for key HRIS projects, as well as actively participated in project analysis activities and product vendor evaluations.

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7. Work Ethic

Here's how service managers use work ethic:

Demonstrated ongoing commitment and a tireless work ethic complemented by expert knowledge of credit/fraud-related situations.
Promoted rapidly to management position due to exceptional work ethic and problem solving tenacity.

8. Guest Satisfaction

Here's how service managers use guest satisfaction:

Evaluated inter-departmental processes and developed standard operating procedures to interface Front Desk and Housekeeping while increasing guest satisfaction and productivity.
Developed guest satisfaction strategies, implemented standard operating procedures, managed front office marketing programs and oversaw quality audits.

9. Direct Reports

Here's how service managers use direct reports:

Managed a team of 10 direct reports, evaluated performance and provided feedback to ensure company profitability and individual success.
Provide communication and feedback to direct reports and upper management regarding training, safety, retention, and productivity/service goals.

10. Payroll

Payroll is the sum of all the compensation that an organization has to pay to employees at a specified time. Payroll is managed by the finance or HR department while small business owners may handle it themselves. Payroll isn't fixed as it varies every month due to sick leaves, overtime, etc.

Here's how service managers use payroll:

Selected Contributions: Revamped Visitor Services and Reservations departments to improve customer service and save on payroll expenses.
Implemented strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remained within budget.

11. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how service managers use business development:

Created and provided reports illustrating enrollment projections and pipeline numbers; analyzed enrollment data for ongoing strategic planning in business development.
Employed sharp managerial tact executing business development accurately maintaining budgets, ordering necessary supplies, and fostering growth through vendor recruiting.

12. HVAC

Here's how service managers use hvac:

Manage an organized and very dynamic commercial and residential HVAC service department.
Calculated building HVAC requirements to ensure adequate capacity of system.

13. Customer Complaints

Here's how service managers use customer complaints:

Analyzed and informed concerned personnel of production quality assurance and sales departments of status and disposition of customer complaints and claims.
Exhibit strong decision-making and problem-solving skills in resolving escalated customer complaints, delivering exceptional customer service and driving branch consumer sales.

14. House Training

Here's how service managers use house training:

Implemented in-house training program for CETP certification testing requirements and other ongoing safety training.
Implemented for sales and customer service representatives an in-house training program for selling and cross-selling financial services and products.

15. Strong Customer Service

Here's how service managers use strong customer service:

Ensured facility operations support the business operations with a strong customer service orientation and relationship management.
Acquired long-term returning clients using strong customer service skills to achieve optimal customer satisfaction.

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What skills help Service Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on service manager resumes?

Mandy Ulicney

Associate Lecturer, Kent State University

In the hospitality industry people look for the intangibles. Everyone works, so that's great, but what else do they do? Do they volunteer? Do they coach a sport? Are they part of a community committee? Those types of things show the employer that they are service-minded, which goes a long way in our industry. Also, being bi-lingual is a big asset to many hospitality employers.

What hard/technical skills are most important for service managers?

Thomas Maier Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Hospitality Management, University of San Francisco

Financial acumen, technology systems, and data analysis.

What service manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Nina Woodard

Senior Career Development Specialist, Belmont University

For entertainment, digital marketing and content creation skills are critical. Even if a role isn't specifically connected to digital marketing, social media is almost always involved in most entry-level roles. We strongly encourage students and recent graduates to learn basic graphic design platforms, video editing and audio editing. Learning how to maximize impact on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok is also a worthy investment of time. There's a wide range of self-paced training resources online, many available for free or at reduced costs for students.

What type of skills will young service managers need?

Craig Nathanson Ph.D.

Adjunct Lecturer, Sonoma State University

I see the essential human skills gaining importance to build a new post-covid work life. These include creativity, leading and working in teams, writing, speaking, being self-aware, and lowering bias and networking; career branding as critical areas for graduates to focus on now.

What technical skills for a service manager stand out to employers?

Dr. Liza Cobos

Assistant Professor, Missouri State University

Employers are looking for transferable skills, skills like critical thinking and technical skills (i.e. excel) are in demand. Having the technical skills to analyze data and critical thinking skills to generate and provide solutions. The industry is always looking for ways to improve sales and pricing strategies to help the bottom line. Being able to demonstrate these skills will with career advancement.

What soft skills should all service managers possess?

Ravi Nath Ph.D.

Professor, Creighton University

Good communication skills, both written and oral, always serve well. Unless a graduate is able to effectively communicate and share their ideas and thoughts with others, their technical skills alone will not be sufficient in having a rewarding professional career.
The ability to successfully adapt to changing environments is also pivotal as the half-life of technology is quickly shrinking.
I will also add "resiliency' to this list of soft skills. Recovering from setbacks and quickly getting back on your feet has become a mantra particularly in the tech fields such as MIS and Data Science.

Do you want to know more?

List of service manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a service manager resume and required skills for a service manager to have include:

POS
Performance Reviews
Cash Handling
Food Handling
Cleanliness
Project Management
Work Ethic
Guest Satisfaction
Direct Reports
Payroll
Business Development
HVAC
Customer Complaints
House Training
Strong Customer Service
Performance Evaluations

Service Operations
Customer Satisfaction
Preventative Maintenance
Warranty Claims
Training Programs
Customer Relations
HR
Customer Service
Branch Management
Quality Service
Inventory Control
Service Calls
Process Improvement
Windows
Lawn Care
Parts Inventory

Product Knowledge
Customer Retention
Troubleshoot
Repair Orders
Inventory Management
SLA
Taxation
Customer Support
FOH
Lead Management
Fine Dining
Escalation Management
Gross Profit
Copywriting

Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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