Description
Team Leader, Client Service
The Team Leader of Client Service is an experienced market research professional responsible for overseeing the execution and optimization of the day-to-day operations of the project management group. In partnership with Innovate’s VP, Global Operations, this role will be responsible for ensuring the firm’s best practices surrounding methodology and quality are maintained at a consistent and high standard throughout all aspects of client delivery. The Team Leader, Client Service will be tasked with ensuring the project management group is consistently delivering best in class client service while providing support, guidance and operational experience to drive continued growth of our client base.
Reporting to the VP, Global Operations, this individual is expected to develop KPIs to optimize client service performance within the project management group. This role will be accountable for mutually agreed upon KPIs such as conversion rate optimization, realization rate, margin control and client satisfaction.
Primary Responsibilities
- Oversee the day-to-day management of the North American Client Service team ensuring the team performs to the highest quality standards. This includes:
- Troubleshooting for PM's issues on sampling, feasibility, programming, data processing and billing
- First level of escalation when project concerns arise from the internal team or customer base
- Attend pre-KOC/KOC calls to answer client questions
- Maintain/document needed SOPs and client documentation
- Develop career pathing for each project manager team member
- Identify team members who require additional training and work with management to implement a tailored training program (with KPIs to measure performance improvement)
- Resolve conflicts when they arise between PM's and other departments through discussion and debate
- Partner with sales:
- Support existing account relationships to ensure they remain healthy, productive, profitable and mutually beneficial, with a goal of securing repeat business and achievement of targeted revenues
- Identify client opportunities and develop delivery strategy
- Maintain an environment which promotes proactive client service and establish an eco-system which actively escalates struggling projects or trends surrounding scope creep
- Identify trends that require improvement and take swift and meaningful action on performance challenges within the team.
- Ensure project design meets client needs by providing consultation internally to project managers and externally to clients concerning online or mobile research best practices
- Coordinate/organize with internal teams on project timing, prescreening, sampling, and troubleshooting
- Identify and implement realistic and cost-effective solutions
- Implement strategies to optimize base margin and company profitability
- Report to direct manager issues, collective solutions and improvements necessary within the operations team
- Provide leadership and guidance to VP, Global Operations with the goal of developing and managing team KPIs which are designed to optimize metrics
- Facilitate and ensure compliance with all SOPs. Expand SOPs as needed in partnership with VP of Corporate Training
- Travel to visit clients and team members when necessary
Minimum Qualifications Requirements:
- Demonstrated strong analytical/problem solving and organizational skills.
- Demonstrated leadership skills to take projects and ideas from conception to conclusion with positive results
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task while working independently in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrated team management skills having led a project management team for a minimum of 1 year in the online market research supplier space
- Experience with managing remote employees (preferred)
- Must be detail oriented, flexible and resourceful.
- Must adhere to the highest level of customer satisfaction standards in the industry.
- Must to able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
- A degree in marketing research or equivalent technical knowledge preferred.
- Adept at using technological resources including Excel and an aptitude to use web-based survey tools
