A customer satisfaction manager is responsible for improving customer interactions with all services and employees within a company through the collecting and analysis of customer satisfaction data. Collection of the data is facilitated by the customer satisfaction manager. Strategies to improve the results found in the data are created and implemented by the manager. Customer service managers may have several different employees working under them to accomplish their tasks, and they also instruct employees in other areas of the company in best customer service practices.
Tools used by a customer satisfaction manager to gauge customer service levels include surveys, focus groups, and testing. Surveys used to measure customer service are usually administered after a service is offered by the company, such as in support tickets or when a purchase is completed. Customer managers devise the questions and framework of the surveys, choosing what areas to test and measure improvement. Focus panels are gathered from likely consumers of a company's product. These panels are used by managers to find out what is most important to customers in a given service interaction or experience.
Customer satisfaction is not only the responsibility of employees who directly interact with customers. Experiences within a store's layout and the user interface of a website are also areas in the purview of the customer satisfaction manager. Programs and software applications are other products that can be improved through customer feedback. In these areas, a customer manager uses data collected from differing styles of use and customer preferences to improve overall satisfaction. Customer managers take the data and recommend changes to website developers, software programmers, and marketing departments.
Working in customer satisfaction management requires making presentations to convey recommendations, compiling data collections, and knowing enough about each area of a company to competently suggest customer focused improvements. The ability to work well with others is crucial because a customer satisfaction manager works extensively with customers and other employees. Travel may be required because customer satisfaction managers may need to go between different company branches, offices, and stores.
It is possible to work independently as a customer service consultant instead of being directly employed by a company. Businesses hire consultants instead of having an in-house customer satisfaction manager to save costs when a full time employee is not needed for the position. Consultants in the field may first get their start by working for someone else before moving on to found their own business.