Team Lead (1st Line Support & Client Experience) (Somerset West Onsite) at Datafin Recruitment

ENVIRONMENT:

• A dynamic ICT Service Provider in Somerset West seeks a highly technical professional to fill the role of a Team Lead (1st Line Support & Client Experience) to deliver a predictable & seamless client experience.
• This will be achieved through: Rapid response and triage; High first-contact resolution; Clean communication; Disciplined escalation and Stable day-to-day operations.
• The ideal candidate must have 5+ years relevant work experience in a similar role including hands-on leadership experience with a real team and exposure to performance systems, scorecards, and operational structure.

DUTIES:

Support Operations Leadership (Core) –

• Own ticket queues: prioritisation, assignment, SLA discipline.
• Ensure fast triage and correct categorisation.
• Drive high first-contact resolution and reduce unnecessary escalations.
• Identify common issues and implement fixes (scripts, SOP updates, user education).

Customer Communication Discipline (Core) –

• Set and enforce standards for ticket updates and client messaging.
• Ensure customers always know what’s happening, by when, and what’s next.
• Handle high-stakes customer escalations calmly and professionally.

Escalation Hygiene into S2 / S3 (Core) –

• Define S1→S2 and S1→S3 escalation criteria and required info checklist.
• Ensure escalations include context, troubleshooting done, logs/screenshots, urgency, business impact.
• Prevent escalation ping-pong through clean ownership and documentation.

​​​​​​​SOP Creation and Enforcement (Non-Negotiable) –

• Maintain S1 SOPs: onboarding/offboarding, password resets, email issues, printer/network basics, device setup, common app issues, remote tools, etc.
• Audit SOP compliance and correct behaviour quickly.
• “Stop-the-line” rule: incomplete info = clarify before action.

​​​​​​​Quality Management and Continuous Improvement –

• Run weekly ticket QA reviews (random sampling).
• Track repeat ticket patterns and drive root-cause prevention.
• Partner with S2/S3 to eliminate recurring technical noise.

​​​​​​​People Leadership –

• Set clear expectations and daily rhythm for the team.
• Coach Technicians on troubleshooting, communication, and ticket hygiene.
• Run performance conversations when standards are missed.
• Contribute to hiring and onboarding S1 techs where needed.

​​​​​​​Commercial Contribution (with BU Sales Consultant) –

• Ensure billable work is flagged and scoped correctly.
• Ensure notes and evidence are sufficient for quoting/invoicing.
• Participate in BU planning where upgrades/projects emerge from support patterns.

REQUIREMENTS:

• 5+ Years relevant work experience in a similar role.
• Hands-on leadership experience with a real team.
• Exposure to performance systems, scorecards, and operational structure.
• Continuous improvement through real-world problem-solving.