A client support manager is a professional who is expected to provide direct customer service support for specific clients. They work with clients to solve any issues that arise and provide information to customers about their accounts and services.
Client support managers also provide support to business development, client management, and service delivery teams. Acting as a liaison between business management and clients, they provide an integral role in business communications. Read on to learn more about the role of a client support manager in a greater sales and delivery framework.
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What Is a Client Support Manager?
Client support managers are responsible for managing client relationships and providing customer service. Individuals in this job often work in various industries, such as IT or technology, law firms, and financial services. They are responsible for providing customer service and managing client relationships on behalf of the company.
A client support manager oversees the management of customer inquiries and concerns. They also help clients to resolve issues and problems, which could involve troubleshooting technical problems. Client support managers often communicate with customers via email or phone calls and provide training support to clients as needed.
What Do Client Support Managers Do?
Client support managers are responsible for maintaining the relationship between an organization and its clients. This includes providing clients with customer service and technical support but also gathering information about clients’ needs to help them achieve their goals with the business.
Client support managers are usually responsible for the client’s satisfaction with the product and ensuring they have a positive relationship with the company or organization they are working with. They may also be charged with the customer relationship management process, which involves creating concrete strategies for improving communication between customers and companies.
How Can You Become a Client Support Manager?
Becoming a client support manager is a great career path for people who are looking to work in the business world. Client support managers are responsible for the overall customer experience and strive to make sure that clients feel satisfied with their service; a client support manager plays a critical role in building trust and rapport with customers.
Becoming a client support manager usually requires a certain combination of education and experience. Below are the education, certification, and experience requirements for becoming a successful and hireable client support manager.
Education & certifications
Most jobs within this career path require at least a bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, IT management, or another field that includes a combination of technical skills as well as interpersonal communication skills.
To become more competitive for a high-level client service role, you will want to pursue continuing education through certifications. The types of certifications to seek differ depending on the industry in which you want to work.
For example, if you are looking to be a client support manager for an IT helpdesk team, then a certification like CompTIA’s A+ certification would be the best fit for you. This certification can help you gain the knowledge and experience to troubleshoot and solve technical issues for clients.
For professionals in less-technical industries, a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification can be a great option to land a role in client services and support management. A PMP certification focuses on the project management process from an overall business standpoint while integrating some technical experience as well.
Experience
In addition to a degree and certifications, those looking to pursue a career in client support management also need management skills and experience in order to secure a job in this field. Because many client support managers have to interact with clients regularly, they need strong customer service skills as well. Analytical and planning skills are vital to this role; these skillsets help professionals to assess current client service practices and institute new policies when required.
As a client service and support manager, you may also train other staff to perform customer service tasks, so you will need to develop more interpersonal communication plus teaching or coaching skills along the way. In many cases, previous experience providing client support and expertise within a specific industry can be critical to success in this role.
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