Customer Service Manager (Local in Fairfield County, CT) (Hybrid)

Location:Hybrid (Must be local in Fairfield County, CT or surrounding areas)Reports to: SVP OperationsDepartment: Customer Experience / Operations

Salary: $65,000 - $80,000

Position Summary

The Customer Service Manager is a hands-on leader responsible for owning and operating the customer service function end to end. This is a player/coach role that combines direct customer interaction with team leadership, process design, and performance management.

The role owns how customer service functions across internal staff and an external call center partner, including SOP development, KPI definition and tracking, quality oversight, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate is comfortable rolling up their sleeves while also building scalable, compliant processes in a regulated environment.

Key Responsibilities

Hands-On Customer Support (Player)

• Actively handle customer inquiries, escalations, and complex cases across phone, email, and digital channels
• Serve as the primary escalation point for internal representatives and external call center agents
• Ensure consistent, high-quality customer interactions aligned with brand and compliance expectations

Team Leadership & Ownership (Coach)

• Directly manage internal customer service representatives, including hiring, onboarding, training, and performance management
• Set clear expectations, provide ongoing coaching, and conduct regular performance reviews
• Build a culture of accountability, customer focus, and continuous improvement
• Own workforce planning in coordination with volume trends and business needs

External Call Center Management

• Own the day-to-day relationship with the external call center partner
• Define performance expectations, SLAs, and quality standards
• Develop training materials and documentation used by external agents
• Monitor performance through KPIs, call monitoring, and regular business reviews
• Identify gaps and drive corrective actions when performance or compliance issues arise

SOP Development & Process Design

• Create, document, and maintain customer service SOPs, workflows, and work instructions
• Ensure consistency across internal teams and external partners
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory to ensure SOPs meet applicable requirements (e.g., FDA QSR, ISO 13485, EU MDR as applicable)
• Regularly review and update procedures based on audits, metrics, and business changes

Metrics, KPIs & Reporting

• Define, implement, and track customer service KPIs, including but not limited to:
• Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• First Contact Resolution
• CSAT / NPS
• Call abandonment rate
• Complaint and escalation trends
• Develop dashboards and regular reporting for leadership
• Use data to identify root causes, prioritize improvements, and justify resourcing decisions

Quality & Regulatory Support

• Ensure accurate intake, documentation, and escalation of product complaints and adverse events
• Partner closely with Quality and Regulatory teams on complaint handling, post-market surveillance, and audits
• Support internal and external audits related to customer service operations
• Ensure training records, SOPs, and documentation are audit-ready

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the voice of the customer internally
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, IT, Quality, and Regulatory to resolve systemic issues
• Support product launches, promotions, and process changes from a customer service perspective

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of customer service experience, including 2+ years in a hands-on leadership or player/coach role
• 5+ years of experience managing or working closely with an external call center or BPO partner
• 3+ years of experience developing SOPs, workflows, and performance metrics from the ground up
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills

Preferred

• 5+ years of experience in a regulated industry (medical device, healthcare, consumer health, or pharmaceutical)
• Familiarity with FDA complaint handling and post-market surveillance processes
• Experience with CRM and ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite, Zendesk, Salesforce)
• Data-driven mindset with experience building KPI dashboards

Key Competencies

• Ownership mentality — treats customer service as a business function, not just a support role
• Comfortable switching between strategic thinking and hands-on execution
• Strong judgment in escalations and compliance-sensitive situations
• Process-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset
• Effective partner manager and internal collaborator

Benefits

• Health/Dental (employer paid)/Vision (employer paid)
• IRA with company matching, no vesting period.
• Paid PTO
• Paid Holiday