Customer Service Manager at takealot.com

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership & Culture

• Lead, coach, and develop Team Leaders through weekly one-on-ones, performance reviews, and development plans.
• Set clear goals and standards; recognise top performance; manage underperformance with structured performance improvement plans.
• Oversee hiring, onboarding, certification, cross-skilling, and succession; ensure HR compliance such as leave and attendance.
• Foster an inclusive, high-trust, and high-accountability culture centered on customer empathy and ownership.

Customer Experience & Quality

• Own the quality framework including QA rubric, calibration cadence, evaluation targets, coaching standards, and action plans.
• Set and manage channel standards for FCR, SLAs, backlog, recontact rate, complaint rate, and social response and resolution.
• Ensure Team Leaders conduct regular monitoring across calls, chats, and emails, and provide feedback, coaching, and reporting.

Process Improvement & Voice of Customer (VoC)

• Run a continuous improvement pipeline by identifying key drivers of contact, defect leakage, and customer effort, and prioritising solutions.
• Translate insights into product and process improvements and track measurable impact such as contact reduction and CSAT improvement.
• Standardise SOPs across teams to ensure clarity and consistency in execution.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Operations, Logistics, Merchant/Restaurant Operations, Courier/Driver Operations, Product, Risk/Fraud, Finance, Legal, and Communications to improve end-to-end journeys.
• Represent Customer Service in business reviews, align on priorities, and advocate for customer-focused decisions.

Tools, Data & Reporting

• Govern the operational use of CRM, ticketing systems, telephony platforms, QA tools, workforce management systems, knowledge bases, and reporting tools.
• Define metrics and dashboards; ensure accurate and timely reporting by Team Leaders with clear action plans.
• Promote data-driven decision-making and analytical capability within teams.

Compliance, Risk & Safety

• Ensure adherence to company policies, data privacy regulations, and audit requirements.
• Govern the safe handling of sensitive and payment data; escalate incidents according to protocol.
• Establish service recovery and compensation guidelines and partner with Risk teams to prevent fraud and abuse.

Governance & Communication

• Maintain a structured operating cadence including daily stand-ups, weekly operational reviews, monthly business reviews, QA calibrations, and training sessions.
• Communicate priorities, updates, and performance outcomes clearly, maintaining documentation and change logs.

Output

• High-performing and engaged Team Leaders with defined goals and development plans.
• Consistent achievement of SLA targets, reduced complaints, and improved resolution rates.
• Measurable improvements in CSAT and reduced contact rates through actionable process and product changes.
• Enhanced end-to-end customer journeys through aligned cross-functional initiatives.
• Accurate and timely reporting with clear insights and actions.
• Established safeguards for sensitive data handling and incident management.
• Well-maintained documentation, SOPs, and change logs.

Qualifications and Experience: 

• Diploma or Advanced Certificate.
• 3 to 5 years’ experience as a manager in a customer service environment.
• Experience in the redesign and implementation of new processes and best  practices to improve customer satisfaction metrics. 
• Experience in working in an e-commerce or technology company is a plus