Head of Service at Oneplan Underwriting Managers (Pty) Ltd

Main purpose of the job:

• A critical lever to delivering an exception end to end customer experience. Responsible for overseeing the daily operations within the Customer Service Contact Centre, with regards to omni-channel practices.  Create a customer centric organization that delivers the required performance whilst being committed to delivering a great customer experience through a variety of customer contact channels.  Focus on first call resolution, migration of contacts to digital platforms and build capability to continuously improve.

Drive and Improve Customer Engagement

• Lead the implementation and evaluation of strategic, tactical, and operational customer experience and engagement plans to support retention and market penetration.
• Leads and manages the customer service contact center and looks for opportunities to expand customer base and service offering.
• Collaborates with the Senior Leadership to agree strategic, tactical, and operational plans.
• Manages service levels as per segmentation and omni-channel strategy.
• Advises the Senior Leadership on customer satisfaction measures, customer experience strategies, programs, initiatives, and emerging issues to enable customer-centric strategic and operational decision processes and major or critical issue responses.
• Plan and provide leadership to the implementation of integrated customer engagement and communication initiatives to improve and enhance the perceptions and experiences of customers, consumers and communities
• Lead and/or direct specific customer research programs, dialogue, and other forms of engagement to understand key concerns and issues to inform enhancement of customer services and service delivery models
• Drive the ongoing development of exceptional customer experience culture across the organisation, supported by effective policy and process frameworks and a responsive Customer Service Contact Centre to embed best practice customer-centric behaviours.
• Identify opportunities for enhanced service delivery through various delivery methods, and the application of social media, mobile apps and technologies to optimise customer experience
• Engage and negotiate with stakeholders on strategic issues related to standards of customer service and accessibility and provide expert, influential advice
• Ensure that responsiveness to customer needs is central to the organisation’s strategic planning processes
• Manages overall performance standards for service delivery across the organisation and monitor compliance
• Understands industry best practices and strategies
• Responsible for overall VOC and end to end process improvement to ensure best of class service delivery

Operations Management

• Ensure the Customer Service Contact Centre operations are effectively and efficiently managed and that all prescribed operational objectives and targets are met.
• Establish the Customer Service Contact Centre as a team of global best practice operators with superior customer satisfaction ratings.
• Ensure all service levels and response time targets are met
• Drive customer-centricity through all work plans, schedules, measures and training activities
• Manage all functions of Customer Service Contact Centre delivery and ensure a continuous alignment with the Sales and Compliance agenda
• Design, deliver and maintain all processes and policies relating to resource scheduling and forecasting.
• Plan for the most efficient workload and resource schedule.
• Monitor and manage quality input into our CRM
• Ensure tight alignment with support functions to drive best-in-class finance, HR and IT practices
• Identify, design and implement projects that will enhance effectiveness of the Customer Service Contact Centre over time.
• Ensure integrity of governance and compliance across all spheres of operations
• Responsible to ensure the Customer Service Contact Centre are delivering according to the business plan and targets within budget.
• Ensure productivity is optimised through the effective management of the entire Customer Service Contact Centre and reduce operating expenses in the Customer Service Contact Centre
• Ensure resources and structures supports longer term growth objectives.
• Maintain awareness of external influences such as relevant legislation, competitor analysis and manage accordingly to keep efficiencies and to meet targets.
• Assist in identifying, developing, evaluating, implementing and/or improving new procedures to improve efficiencies and best of class service to our customer base.

Continuous Improvement and Reporting

• Design and deliver a scorecard of measures encompassing all relevant aspects of Customer Service Contact Centre operations
• Provide monthly and quarterly reporting on all relevant Customer Service Contact Centre indicators, illustrating trends and plans for continuous improvement. (Timing of reports may vary dependent on requirements)
• Manage service level performance against defined targets and metrics and course correct when necessary
• Extract productivity and performance data and reports daily, weekly and monthly and analyse data for continuous improvement
• Demonstrate the movement of customer interaction from traditional channels into digital platforms
• Ensure that regular product training and refresher courses are done with Learning and Development to ensure full compliance with process adherence and seamless customer experience
• Ensure all complaints are resolved, analyzed and relevant actions implemented across value chain to ensure a continuous reduction and improvement.
• Ensure continuous review of process and systems across industry to ensure best practice and superior efficiency.

Leadership and Direction

• Providing vision and direction to team members
• Through effective inspirational leadership, facilitate the creation of accountable, full-service teams who understand and strive to meet and exceed the needs of all stakeholders
• Role model behaviour and motivate team members in line with the core values
• Take full responsibility for performance of all direct reports, motivating and managing them in relation to quality standards and agreed benchmarks and objectives, focusing on all aspects of sound people management:
• Provide support and guidance on career path planning, on-the-job training, coaching, and mentoring to direct reports
• Leads change to creates a self-refreshing and learning organisation
• Continuous improvement of business processes

Work collaboratively

• Build a culture of respect and understanding across the organisation
• Recognise outcomes which resulted from effective collaboration between teams
• Build cooperation and overcome barriers to information sharing, communication and collaboration across the organisation
• Facilitate opportunities to engage and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop joint solutions

Self-Management

• Follow through to ensure that personal quality and productivity standards are consistently and accurately maintained
• Demonstrate consistent application of internal procedures
• Plan and prioritise, demonstrating abilities to manage competing demands
• Demonstrate abilities to anticipate and manage change
• Demonstrate flexibility in balancing achievement of own objectives with abilities to understand and respond to organizational needs

Job Requirements
Minimum Academic, Professional Qualifications & Experience required for this position

• Bachelors’ degree advantageous
• Minimum 8 years’ experience in customer engagement or service delivery role, with a minimum of 4 years’
• experience in a leadership role. Expert/Advanced Contact Centre operational management.
• Six Sigma or process documentation and improvement experience - Critical

Behaviors

• Energy
• Passion
• Respect for others
• Honest and Fair
• Creativity
• Entrepreneurial Orientation
• Positive Attitude
• Courage
• Tenacity
• Achieves Results
• Leadership
• Demonstrate honesty and integrity
• Strive for Customer Centricity
• Innovate boldly
• Be both agile and entrepreneurial
• Build relationships and trust
• Develop our people for long-term success
• Be an agent of change
• Collaborative

Essential

• Evaluating problems
• Investigate Issues
• Creating innovation
• Building Relationships
• Communicating Information
• Providing Leadership
• Showing Resilience
• Adjusting to change
• Giving Support
• Processing Details
• Structuring Tasks
• Driving success
• Profit, Revenue and growth management
• Commercial Acumen
• Business Acumen

Functional Competencies

• Insights & foresight
• Planning
• Customer Relationship Management
• Maximise and Measures Service Performance
• Account Support
• Technical Support
• Build & develop customer centric capability
• Profit and revenue growth management
• Business Acumen
• Governance
• Stakeholder Management
• Drive results through team