Customer services

Customer services manager

Customer service managers create guidelines, deal with quality control and manage customer service teams.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £50,000

Working hours

38 to 40 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

2.2%
Future employment

There will be 2.2% more Customer services manager jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

In this job, you'll:

  • develop customer service policies
  • lead a team of customer service staff
  • handle complex questions and complaints
  • manage budgets
  • make sure staff follow rules on customer data
  • develop quality control procedures
  • help to recruit, train and assess new staff
  • keep up to date with customer service developments

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work in an office.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • training with a professional body
University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree then apply for a graduate management trainee scheme.

You can apply for graduate trainee schemes with almost any degree. Some employers may prefer you to have a degree in a subject relevant to the sector you want to work in, for example:

  • business management
  • retail management
  • tourism and hospitality
  • financial services

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
For more information
College

It may help to complete a Level 3 or Level 4 Diploma in Customer Services.

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could do a customer service specialist advanced apprenticeship. After finishing, you could take further training to become a manager.

You may be able to do a specific higher or degree apprenticeship for your industry. For example, management apprenticeships are available in:

  • marketing
  • retail
  • hospitality
  • passenger transport

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could start as a customer service adviser and train on the job to become a team supervisor, team leader then manager.

There are many customer service training courses and your employer would suggest the ones most relevant to the industry you work in.

Other routes

You could choose to do general management qualifications to help you get into this career.

These qualifications are offered by professional bodies such as the Institute of Leadership and Management and the Chartered Management Institute.

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You could join The Institute of Customer Service to find professional development training.

You could:move into a more senior position; take on responsibility for customer service across a region; become a customer service director for a whole organisation; work in business development, business finance or compliance

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • customer service skills
  • administration skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • business management skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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