Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Customer Support

💰 $150,000 - $220,000

Customer ServiceManagementLeadershipOperationsStrategy

🎯 Role Definition

We are on the hunt for a dynamic and experienced Head of Customer Support to architect and lead our entire customer support ecosystem. This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for shaping the strategy, execution, and operational excellence of our global support function. You will be the ultimate champion for our customers, ensuring that every interaction is a positive and effective one. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, you will manage a team of support managers and specialists, drive key performance metrics, and collaborate across departments to infuse the voice of the customer into every aspect of our business. Your mission is to build a scalable, efficient, and world-class support organization that not only resolves issues but also creates passionate brand advocates.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Director of Customer Support
  • Senior Customer Support Manager
  • Head of Customer Success (with a strong support operations background)

Advancement To:

  • Vice President (VP) of Customer Experience
  • Chief Customer Officer (CCO)
  • Vice President (VP) of Global Operations

Lateral Moves:

  • Head of Customer Success
  • Head of Operations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and execute a comprehensive, long-term vision and strategy for the Customer Support department that aligns with the company's overall business objectives and growth targets.
  • Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing, multi-tiered global customer support organization, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Define, monitor, and analyze key operational metrics (e.g., CSAT, NPS, First Response Time, Resolution Time, Agent Productivity) to ensure service level agreements (SLAs) are met and exceeded.
  • Implement and optimize support processes and workflows to enhance efficiency, scalability, and the overall quality of customer interactions across all channels (email, phone, chat, social media).
  • Drive the technology strategy for customer support, evaluating, implementing, and managing the tool-stack (e.g., Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Intercom) to empower the team and improve the customer journey.
  • Act as the senior-most escalation point for complex and sensitive customer issues, providing clear direction and resolution while identifying root causes to prevent future occurrences.
  • Champion the voice of the customer across the organization, collaborating closely with Product, Engineering, and Marketing teams to provide actionable feedback and insights that drive product improvements and business decisions.
  • Design and oversee comprehensive training, onboarding, and ongoing professional development programs for the entire customer support team to ensure deep product knowledge and service excellence.
  • Manage the departmental budget, including headcount planning, resource allocation, and vendor contract negotiations, ensuring fiscal responsibility and maximizing return on investment.
  • Establish and refine quality assurance (QA) programs to systematically review customer interactions and provide coaching and feedback to team members.
  • Create and maintain a robust self-service strategy, including the development and optimization of our knowledge base, help center articles, and community forums to empower customers and deflect tickets.
  • Prepare and present regular performance reports and strategic insights to the executive leadership team, highlighting trends, challenges, and opportunities within the customer experience landscape.
  • Oversee workforce management (WFM) to ensure optimal staffing levels and scheduling across different time zones and support channels to meet fluctuating demand.
  • Build a strong, collaborative leadership team within the support organization by hiring and developing talented Customer Support Managers.
  • Spearhead initiatives to transform the support department from a cost center into a value-generating function that contributes to customer retention, loyalty, and revenue growth.
  • Partner with the Sales and Customer Success teams to create a seamless customer lifecycle, ensuring smooth handoffs and a consistent experience from pre-sale to post-implementation support.
  • Develop and manage crisis communication plans for support-related incidents, ensuring timely and effective communication with customers during outages or critical events.
  • Analyze customer interaction data and feedback to identify recurring issues and trends, then proactively work with relevant departments to implement permanent solutions.
  • Foster a positive and engaging team environment that attracts, retains, and motivates top talent in the customer support industry.
  • Drive the international expansion of support operations, establishing processes and teams to provide localized, high-quality support for a global customer base.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to uncover deeper insights into customer behavior and support performance.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader data governance strategy and customer data roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate customer feedback and support data into clear engineering and product requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within cross-functional teams to represent the support perspective.
  • Manage relationships with third-party vendors and BPOs, ensuring they meet performance standards and contractual obligations.
  • Represent the company at industry conferences and events, staying abreast of the latest trends and best practices in customer support and experience.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • CRM/Support Platform Mastery: Deep, hands-on expertise with enterprise-level helpdesk software such as Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Intercom, or similar platforms.
  • Data Analysis & Reporting: Proficiency in analyzing support metrics and creating insightful dashboards using tools like Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or advanced functions in Google Sheets/Excel.
  • Workforce Management (WFM): Experience with WFM software and methodologies for forecasting, scheduling, and optimizing support team staffing.
  • Knowledge Base Management: Proven ability to build, structure, and maintain a comprehensive internal and external knowledge base to drive self-service.
  • Budgeting and Financial Planning: Strong financial acumen with experience in managing departmental budgets, forecasting expenses, and calculating ROI on technology and personnel investments.
  • SQL and Data Querying: Foundational knowledge of SQL to independently query databases for custom reports and deeper analysis is highly desirable.

Soft Skills

  • Strategic Leadership & Vision: Ability to craft and articulate a compelling vision for the future of customer support and inspire a team to execute on it.
  • Exceptional Empathy: A genuine passion for understanding and solving customer problems, coupled with the ability to instill that mindset throughout the team.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: A strong analytical mindset with the ability to use data to tell a story, justify decisions, and drive strategic initiatives.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Superb ability to build relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels across Product, Engineering, Sales, and Marketing.
  • Calm Under Pressure: The capacity to handle high-pressure situations, escalations, and crises with a calm, methodical, and solution-oriented approach.
  • Change Management: Adept at leading teams through periods of significant change, such as technology migrations, process overhauls, or rapid scaling.
  • Inspirational Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex ideas to both executive and frontline audiences.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field or equivalent, extensive practical experience leading large support organizations.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) or a related discipline.
  • Certifications in customer experience (e.g., CCXP) or support platforms (e.g., Zendesk Certified Support Administrator).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Management Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 10-15+ years of progressive experience in Customer Support, Customer Experience, or Service Operations.

Preferred:

  • A minimum of 7 years in a senior leadership role (Director-level or above), with proven experience managing managers and scaling teams.
  • Demonstrable track record of building and leading a global, multi-channel (phone, email, chat) support organization in a high-growth technology or SaaS company.
  • Proven success in developing and implementing strategic initiatives that have quantifiably improved key support metrics (e.g., CSAT, FCR, cost-per-contact).
  • Experience managing a budget of over $5M and a distributed team of 50+ individuals.
Explore More Careers