Operations Manager - On Holiday Support Customer Experience London

Our mission is to be Europe's most loved, and this role will be crucial in contribution to that mission!

Holidays should be stress-free, right? That's where you come in! You'll lead our awesome On Holiday Support team, a remote group dedicated to helping our customers when they're away. We might not be in their hotel with them, but we're just a call or message away.

You'll be making sure everything runs smoothly for our customers while they're on holiday. We're looking for someone who's not afraid to suggest changes and continually make our customer journeys even better. Basically, you'll be the holiday happiness guru!

We might not be on location, but we're experts at fixing problems from afar by using our awesome tech and strong local connections to get things back on track for our customers.

The impact you'll have

As a key member of the Customer Service team, reporting directly to the Senior Operations Manager, you will take ownership of both the internal and outsourced operations within the On Holiday Support function. You will be responsible for the voice, live chat, and tickets/email channels, driving impact in the following areas:

1. Empower the team to deliver amazing customer outcomes when things go wrong: We know from time to time that things will go wrong, so you will create, develop and drive a team of highly motivated, highly skilled and completely empowered people to fix issues quickly and appropriately.
   
2. Work with suppliers to create a seamless experience: Working with our suppliers will be key to the success of the department. We are a marketplace, and that means we need strong relationships with our suppliers to make this a seamless experience for our customers.
   
3. Create a customer experience that our customers love: You will see firsthand the challenges our customers face, so will have the insight and ability to make real and lasting changes in the way we handle our customers' experience while on holiday.

This role will be responsible for ensuring that we drive the highest of standards across all of these channels, ensuring not just speedy but also high-quality resolutions.

Strong people and supplier management will be central to the success of the role, and ensuring that everyone feels both engaged and part of the journey is paramount.

We are a data-driven organization, so having the ability to analyze and interpret insight, then make it actionable, is a key element to the role.

This hybrid role, based in Hammersmith, London (two days a week in the office), includes occasional overseas travel to South Africa, to engage directly with our offshore team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operational Excellence:
  • Lead On Holiday Support to exceed KPIs (CSAT, SLAs), analyze metrics, and refine processes for optimal customer support.
• Supplier Management:
  • Own outsourced partner performance, ensure high standards, and maintain effective governance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Work collaboratively with Finance and suppliers, to drive process improvements across the customer journey.
• Team Leadership:
  • Motivate and guide a diverse team, fostering collaboration and high performance, and provide strategic guidance.
• Customer Advocacy:
  • Act as a customer advocate, resolve issues, and champion customer-centric practices.
• Data-Driven Decisions:
  • Ensure decisions are data-backed, empower team data literacy, and analyze trends.

What We're Looking For:

• Operational Expertise:
  • Proven experience driving teams to achieve service targets and customer goals.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making:
  • Analytical mindset, ability to remain calm under pressure, and solution-focused.
• Customer Focus:
  • Experience providing escalation support, deep commitment to customer satisfaction, and high empathy.
• Relationship Management:
  • Strong stakeholder management skills for building productive relationships.
• Leadership & Collaboration:
  • Ability to inspire teams, manage competing priorities, and communicate effectively.

Highly Desirable:

• Cross-Cultural Competence: Experience working with onshore and offshore teams, fostering inclusivity and understanding cultural nuances.
• Operational Expertise: Proven experience in customer service operations, with a strong understanding of process optimization and best practices.

The interview journey:

• Screening interview with Talent Acquisition team
• Interview with Hiring Manager + 1 other Manager (TBC) - 60 mins
• Final interview with Hiring Manager + Head of Customer Services - 45 mins

Perks of joining us:

• Company pension contributions at 5%
• Individualized training budget for you to learn on the job and level yourself up
• Discounted holidays for you, your family, and friends
• 25 days of holidays per annum (plus 8 public holidays) increases by 1 day for every second year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days per annum
• Enhanced maternity/paternity leave
• Cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan, and eye care vouchers

At loveholidays, we focus on developing an inclusive culture and environment that encourages personal growth and collective success. Each individual offers unique perspectives and ideas that increase the diversity and effectiveness of our teams. And we value the insight and potential you could bring on our continued journey.