Service Manager

Service Manager - hybrid, on site 2/3 days per week

Main purpose of role:
The Service Manager is responsible for the achievement of all service elements within their key customer account(s) as defined within the Contract & Contract Schedules, and for demonstrating performance to key customer and stakeholders.
Our key contracts have a strong foundation in ITIL best practice, so extensive working knowledge of ITIL is required.
Key responsibilities:
To ensure that business objectives and service targets are exceeded, ultimately facilitating the successful retention of their key customer account(s).
Tasks required will include (but are not exclusive to):
• Work to targets to achieve and exceed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Understand the deliverables of the individual customer contracts with a view to develop and improve the service offered to the customer throughout the lifecycle of the account.
• Identify Service Levels not being met and liaise with involved departments to execute corrective action, lead Continual Service Improvement (CSI) as an imperative aspect of the Service Advocate role.
• Help manage all service-related issues to successful conclusion. Provide a "dotted Line" into the Service Desk and act as a key escalation point for customer issues, problems and complaints.
• Forge and develop relationships with key service stakeholders within the customer's business in order to cement an honest, productive working relationship.
• Production of documentation to a very high standard, and presentation at regular customer and stakeholder meetings as defined within the customer’s Communication Plan.
• Work with peers in the service / operational organisation in order to ensure that the effects of defects within operations that cause issues are vocalised.
• Identify areas for improvement e.g. product, system or process, provide recommendations to support customer requirements for cost savings, growth, and technology refreshes.
• Maintain an awareness of the prevailing UK market conditions and competitive landscape and exploit any opportunities arising from this knowledge.
• Track all activity in the appropriate CRM systems following the defined processes and look for opportunities to improve or enhance the information in the systems.
• Data entry within the various company systems.
• Represent our brand through an ability to communicate in a business-like manner.
• Promote an atmosphere centred on delivering superior customer service.
• Undertake regular training and coaching sessions as and when required.

Key skills:

Skill
Problem solving This role is responsible for the ongoing achievement of contractual service elements. As such, the Service Manager must be proactively interrogating the customer’s environment to identify and mitigate risks before they become issues. This extends specifically to incidents, events, problems and capacity planning in the ITIL environment. The SM must provide innovative solutions to mitigate and resolve risks and issues proactively.
Decision making The Service Manager needs to make daily decisions in their capacity as a key escalation point and owner of the achievement of contractual service elements. These shall be within the quality, cost, and timescale parameters mandated by the contract and the Service Manager will work within prescribed tolerances, raising risks of breach to the executive team.
Innovation The Service Manager will work with the Customer Advocacy, Technical Architecture, and Solutions teams to develop innovative and achievable solutions for the customer’s future roadmap.
Communication Exemplary command of the English language, both written and verbal, is required. Efficiency of response to customer and stakeholder enquiries is of great importance.
Interpersonal The Service Manager will have a non-line-management responsibility over the Service Desk. They will be accountable for their achievement of SLAs and service elements but will not have team-leadership responsibilities. As such, they must be able to exercise influence and gain the respect of people outside of their control. Senior stakeholder management and a clear, concise approach to reporting key themes is of great importance.
Financial The Service Manager needs to be acutely financially aware. They will be responsible for the achievement of service elements, whereby failure may result in a guarantee payment to the customer. These payments will be tracked and reported as part of their key KPIs.

Key relationships:

• The customer’s operational / service management teams and their key SIAM partners
• Service Desk
• Network Engineering
• Design architecture
• Customer Advocacy
• Programme / Project Management
• Customer Support
• NOC/TOC
• Delivery Teams

Experience and skills:

ITIL certification Service Management

Experience

Demonstrable experience of ITIL-based Service Management to large Enterprise customers
Service Now CRM
Salesforce CRM
Highlight Network Monitoring
SolarWinds
Cisco ISE
Forescout
Commercial awareness
Data and/or telecoms products
SLA & KPI management
Capacity planning & demand management
Management reporting
Risk & issue management
Revenue optimisation
Running a service desk or similar team
WANs & MPLS networking
LAN infrastructure inc. WIFI
Leadership
Project management inc. exceptional stakeholder management

Skills/Knowledge
Problem solving
Data analytics
MI reporting & presentation skills Competent MS Office skills, including Excel
Customer service skills
Project governance
Coaching, Mentoring, Training

Aptitudes/Attributes

• Results driven
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Keen eye for detail and accuracy
• Polite and courteous
• Consistent, demonstrates positive attitude, participative
• Self-motivated, able to work under own initiative
• To be able to work closely as part of a team
• Strong sense of ownership
• Takes responsibility for own learning
• Ability to adjust behaviour and language as appropriate for the needs of differing situations
• Flexible and dynamic approach to problem solving
• Resilient
• Innovative
• Pragmatic
• Diplomatic
• Responsive to change, operating within a fast-paced business environment
Proven ability to act as a key interface between various internal teams as well as customers

Organising/Planning
Proactive approach as well as timely responsiveness to issues Able to manage and prioritise time
Ability to work under pressure to deadlines
Application of logical approach to order structures
Ability to take ownership of issues and to resolve them
promptly and efficiently
Actively pursue personal development to improve performance in current job; to actively participate in training as and when required