About KRD
KRD Catering Equipment is a rapidly growing e-commerce retailer and importer of commercial catering equipment.
As our operations move into our larger Weedon site, we are looking for an experienced Customer Service Manager to take full ownership of our customer-service function, team and Zendesk platform.
This is not simply a senior customer-service agent position. You will be responsible for building an efficient, controlled customer-service operation while managing and developing the existing phone and email team.
The role
You will own the daily performance of customer service across email and telephone, while improving the systems, processes and decision-making behind the department.
You should be comfortable configuring Zendesk, managing staff, handling complex aftersales cases and making sensible commercial decisions within agreed company policies.
You will occasionally respond personally to important or escalated customers, but your main responsibility will be building and managing an effective department.
Key responsibilities
- Take full ownership of Zendesk, including macros, triggers, automations, views, tags, routing and reporting.
- Manage, coach and support the customer-service team across telephone and email.
- Set daily priorities, monitor workloads and prevent uncontrolled ticket backlogs.
- Build clear processes for deliveries, damages, returns, warranties, replacement parts, complaints and refunds.
- Create written decision trees and authority limits so routine cases do not require director approval.
- Review difficult or high-value cases and personally handle important escalations when appropriate.
- Conduct regular quality checks and provide feedback and training to team members.
- Produce and maintain customer-service templates, macros, SOPs and internal guidance.
- Monitor response times, repeat contacts, refunds, complaints and customer-service quality.
- Identify recurring product, warehouse, carrier or website problems and report their root causes.
- Work closely with the warehouse, sales, e-commerce and management teams.
- Ensure customer cases are documented clearly and supported by the correct evidence.
- Help prepare evidence for chargebacks and other payment disputes when required.
What we are looking for
Essential:
- Previous experience managing a customer-service or aftersales team.
- Strong hands-on Zendesk administration experience.
- Evidence of personally building or improving macros, triggers, workflows, routing and reporting.
- Experience handling returns, warranties, complaints and difficult customer situations.
- Strong written and spoken communication.
- Confident making fair commercial decisions within agreed limits.
- Able to monitor performance through service data and KPIs.
- Calm, organised and decisive under pressure.
- Able to work full-time from our Weedon site.
Desirable:
- Customer-service experience within e-commerce, retail or physical products.
- Shopify experience.
- Experience with bulky goods, technical products or commercial equipment.
- Experience working with parcel carriers, pallet networks and delivery claims.
- Familiarity with chargebacks, payment disputes or B2B customer service.
Expected first 90-day outcomes
- Complete an audit of the existing customer-service operation and Zendesk configuration.
- Introduce consistent ticket categories, ownership, routing and service-level targets.
- Build macros and processes covering the main recurring customer enquiries.
- Establish clear refund, warranty, return and escalation decision rules.
- Introduce weekly quality checks and individual team performance measures.
- Eliminate uncontrolled aged ticket backlogs.
- Reduce unnecessary customer escalations reaching senior management.
- Produce a weekly report covering service levels, recurring problems and required corrective actions.
What we offer
- The opportunity to take genuine ownership of an important business function.
- Authority to improve the systems and processes rather than merely maintain them.
- A growing team and business with substantial plans for expansion.
- Direct access to senior management and the ability to influence company-wide improvements.
Please apply with an up-to-date CV and a short explanation of the Zendesk systems or customer-service processes you have personally built or improved.
Pay: £40,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Northampton NN7: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
