Summary
As Customer Service & Performance manager you’ll be responsible for a complex operation, managing specialist areas and escalated complaints across multiple channels. The role ensures the customer service teams have the skills, tools, and knowledge to deliver recognisable 5 star M&S service.
Reporting to the Lead Customer Service & Performance manager, this highly visible leadership role leads and directs the customer service operation to deliver strong operational performance, setting M&S customer service standards in the Centre of Excellence. The role requires a strong ability to coach and develop others to build capability within the teams.
Demanding a broad customer service background and experience in managing and leading large contact centre teams, the role ensures appropriate escalation and management of brand sensitive and high-profile issues to the relevant M&S teams, including PR, Legal, Marketing, and business units and works collaboratively to minimise risk to the business.
The role is Chester based with some requirement to travel to other M&S locations and partner sites including London and Cape Town, South Africa.
What’s in it for you
Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.
Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…
* After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
* Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
* Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
* A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
* A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
* Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
* Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
* Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
* A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
What you’ll do
Your key accountabilities will include
* Lead specialist Customer Service teams who handle complex and escalated customer complaints across different channels including social media, voice, web chat and email.
* Have direct responsibility for up to 5 Customer Service managers each with teams of 15-20 Customer Service advisers.
* Be responsible for leading operational performance ensuring the specialist customer service teams achieve defined customer metrics including Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), First Contact Resolution (FCR), Quality and service levels (SLA’s).
* Develop strong collaborative working relationships and be aligned with the other customer service teams in the Chester inhouse centre and with our outsourced partner, to deliver a consistent M&S service.
* Be passionate about raising the bar and drive a high-performance culture in the M&S Centre of Excellence.
* Play a critical role in identifying risks to customer service and areas of underperformance. Be accountable and drive action.
* Be responsible for colleague performance, closely monitoring results and sharing planned status updates at regular operational forums such as Weekly and Monthly reviews.
* Take personal responsibility and ownership of escalated customer issues when required across multiple contact channels including social media, voice, webchat and email.
* Analyse data and MI to identify complaint trends and performance improvement opportunities. Use actionable insight, to influence business strategy and decisions.
* Represent Customer Services Operations in incident management working groups during business-critical issues to ensure the best outcome for the customer and Customer Service colleagues.
* Be accountable for managing a wide range of stakeholder groups across internal and external organizations, developing strong relationships to foster joint business outcomes and ongoing strategic alignment.
* Being part of an inclusive and diverse culture, to ensure our colleagues feel respected and valued.
* Lead and support your teams to be their best in a hybrid flexible working model, across extended opening hours and working in both office and home locations.
Who you are
Your skills and experience will include
* Strong leader and people manager, experienced in coaching to build capability.
* Experience of leading contact centre teams and working in a partnership relationship. (essential)
* Passionate in championing the customer.
* Experience of managing matrix teams in an operational environment
* Commercial acumen with the knowledge of defining and adhering to contractual obligations
* Strong communication skills and ability to provide clear and concise operational updates (verbally and written)
* Ability to manage and effectively prioritise multiple requests and manage a wide variety of stakeholders
Everyone’s welcome
We’re ambitious about the future of retail. We’re innovating, disrupting, and leading the way into a more inspiring, digital era. It’s an exciting time to be part of M&S.
To support us on our journey, we’re building inclusive, diverse teams where everyone can be themselves, do their best work, and make change happen. We support each other and succeed together.
Don’t worry if you don’t meet every single requirement of the job description. It’s more of a guide to what’s possible within the role. If you’re passionate, ready to work hard, and think the role feels right for you, we’d love to hear from you.