Assistant Operations Manager (Customer Service)

About the role

The Assistant Operations Manager – Call Center is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of a high-volume customer service operation via email, chat, and voice. The role focuses on ensuring effective management of order cancellations, refunds, escalations, customer complaints, troubleshooting, and call/chat transfers, while driving operational excellence, team performance, and an exceptional customer experience. This role ensures that customer service, performance metrics, staffing, and operational standards align with company goals for customer satisfaction, efficiency, and revenue growth. This position plays a critical role in supporting retail customers, managing front-line service teams, and improving resolution time and satisfaction across multiple support channels.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Management

• Manage and lead a team of supervisors, team leaders, and front-line agents.
• Foster a high-performance, customer-first culture through coaching, development, and performance management.
• Conduct regular team meetings and one-on-ones to communicate updates, provide feedback, and support employee engagement.
• Support hiring, training, and onboarding of new agents focused on retail processes and customer service policies.

Operational Oversight

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the call center, ensuring service level agreements (SLAs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and customer satisfaction targets are consistently met.
• Monitor call volumes, average handle time, occupancy, abandonment rates, and other performance metrics.
• Develop and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and reduce customer wait times.

Escalation & Complaint Resolution

• Act as point of contact for high-level escalations and complex complaints.
• Ensure all complaints and refund/cancellation cases are handled in compliance with company policy and regulatory standards.
• Partner with the Quality Assurance team to identify patterns in complaints or recurring issues.

Process & Policy Management

• Implement and maintain processes for handling:

  • Order inquiries and status checks
  • Cancellations and refund requests
  • Product or service complaints
  • Technical or operational troubleshooting
  • Call/chat/email transfers and escalations

• Continuously improve workflows for better efficiency and faster resolution times.

Customer Experience

• Ensure exceptional service delivery through effective quality assurance programs.
• Handle complex customer issues or escalations and support resolution in alignment with company values.
• Partner with training and QA teams to ensure agents are equipped to support retail products, services, promotions, and policies.

Workforce & Resource Management

• Collaborate with Workforce Management to forecast call volumes and schedule staff accordingly.
• Manage headcount, recruitment, onboarding, and training in collaboration with HR and Talent Acquisition.

Reporting & Analytics

• Prepare and present regular reports on operational performance, customer satisfaction, and team metrics for senior leadership.
• Utilize data and analytics to identify trends, forecast needs, and make evidence-based decisions.

Compliance & Policy Adherence

• Ensure adherence to all company policies, customer data protection standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Enforce zero tolerance and quality assurance policies to maintain service integrity and compliance.

Key Areas of Oversight:

• Customer Inquiries: Product, order, or service-related
• Cancellations & Refunds: Policy enforcement, decision-making, customer communication
• Customer Complaints & Escalations: High-touch case resolution, root cause analysis
• Troubleshooting: System, product, and process-related issues
• Transfers: Accurate routing of customer interactions to relevant teams or departments

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Qualifications:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Operations Management, or related field (required); master’s degree (preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in a call center environment, with at least 2 years in a managerial or operations role.
• Experience in retail customer service is highly preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Data-driven with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in call center software (e.g., NICE, Genesys, Five9) and CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, Zendesk).

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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• First Call Resolution (FCR)
• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• Service Level Achievement (SLA %)
• Refund Rate
• Resolution Volume
• Quality Assurance Scores
• Employee Engagement & Retention

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Working Conditions:

• On-site
• May require evening or weekend shifts during peak retail seasons.
• Occasional travel for training or company meetings.