FRONTLINE SUPPORT MANAGER

Frontline Support Manager

Reporting to: Head of Operations Kenya

Location: Nairobi

POSITION FUNCTION

The Customer Service Manager is responsible for leading the Customer Service function while ensuring the smooth day-to-day operation of the Nairobi office. The role is accountable for delivering excellent customer experiences, achieving service performance targets, and managing frontline teams to ensure high levels of productivity, quality and operational efficiency. In addition to Customer Service leadership, the role provides administrative oversight for frontline Operations and Compliance teams, supporting workforce planning, shift management, resource allocation and queue management.

The Customer Service Manager also acts as the primary operational contact for the Nairobi office, coordinating facilities, equipment, vendor relationships and general office administration to ensure teams are adequately supported to perform their roles effectively. Working closely with Operations, Compliance, Technology, Commercial, Finance and HR teams, the role plays a key part in maintaining service excellence, supporting business growth and ensuring operational readiness across the frontline function

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Service & Team Leadership:

1. Lead daily performance planning and oversee resource management to ensure smooth operations.

2. Supervise the resolution of escalated customer inquiries and complaints, ensuring timely and satisfactory outcomes.

3. Collaborate with QA and the supervisor to evaluate call quality and uphold service standards.

4. Provide coaching, direction, and feedback to team members to strengthen customer satisfaction and performance.

5. Implement performance improvement plans and training initiatives to address skills gaps and encourage growth.

6. Serve as the communication bridge between management and the customer service team.

7. Approve the team supervisor’s timesheet on Factorial.

8. Own Customer Service performance against agreed KPIs including SLA, FRT, ART, CSAT, Quality and Productivity

9. Lead workforce planning, shift management and capacity planning to ensure adequate coverage across all customer contact channels.

  10. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve customer experience and operational efficiency

Frontline Operations & Compliance Oversight

1. Provide administrative oversight across Customer Service, Operations and Compliance frontline teams.

2. Monitor queue health, workload allocation and service levels across frontline functions

3. Oversee equipment and resource availability for all Nairobi-based teams (Customer Service, Compliance, Operations, Tech and the Head of Operations).

4. Ensure adequate staffing, shift coverage and resource allocation across Customer Service, Operations and Compliance teams.

5. Track productivity, attendance, adherence and performance metrics across frontline teams.

6. Coordinate operational escalations between Customer Service, Operations, Compliance and Technology teams.

7. Support implementation of process improvements to enhance efficiency, service quality and operational performance.

8. Partner with the Freshdesk Analyst to review workload trends, reporting and workforce planning requirements

Financial Planning & Forecasting:

1. Develop and maintain budget forecasts for the Nairobi office, including yearly, quarterly and monthly reviews.

2. Monitor spending against budgets and ensure cost-effectiveness in resource allocation.

3. Support financial accountability by coordinating invoicing and payment processes for external partners and vendors.

Human Resources & Recruitment:

1. Manage Nairobi CS resource planning and recruitment in line with budgeted headcount.

2. Coordinate onboarding processes for new hires in partnership with team managers, particularly after probation confirmation.

3. Ensure correct payroll, leave settlements and HR protocols are enacted for the Nairobi office team.

Business Continuity & Strategy:

1. Develop and oversee contact center business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

2. Establish and strengthen customer relationships in collaboration with the Commercial team.

3. Create and implement operational procedures to improve service delivery, reduce costs and maintain high standards.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills required

Qualifications 

● Bachelor's Degree or equivalent qualification.   

Skills & Competencies

● Proven experience in leading and managing multi-functional teams within Customer Service or Operations (Essential).

● Strong knowledge of customer service operations, SLAs, KPIs, and compliance frameworks (Essential).

● Expertise in budget forecasting, payroll oversight, and vendor/partner management (Essential).

● Demonstrated ability to mentor, coach, and develop team leaders and senior staff (Essential).

● Excellent problem-solving, escalation management, and decision-making skills (Essential).

● Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively across all levels (Essential).

● Experience in performance monitoring, root-cause analysis and process improvement (Essential).

● Ability to coordinate cross-departmental functions (HR, Finance, Operations, Compliance, Tech) to support business continuity (Essential).

● Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for reporting/forecasting, Word, PowerPoint for presentations) (Essential).

● Experience with Freshdesk, Babble, Zendesk, or similar CRM/contact centre platforms (Advantage).

● Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, able to interpret data and drive informed decisions (Essential).

● Flexible and adaptable to manage a 24/7/365 work environment with global operations (Essential).