Customer Service Manager

Last Updated: 24th January 2024

Are you looking to join a company that grows every year?

Are you looking for a job where your daily objective is to make customers happy?

Would you like your job role to grow year on year and be rewarded?

If your answer is yes, then we might just be the company for you!

Who are we?

Based in Kingston, Milton Keynes, we are a national driving school with approximately 600 instructors covering many areas across the UK.
driveJohnson’s started with just one man and his car in 2005 and has since grown to over 600 instructors nationwide. We Provide driving lessons in London, Birmingham, and Manchester, to name a few. We even provide driving lessons in places like Orkney, a little island north of Scotland.

We consistently take over 500 bookings per week, exceeding 1000 bookings a week during busy periods. On top of that, we have instructors wanting to join our company every week, too.

The company coped very well during the COVID-19 pandemic, the current cost of living crisis, the 2007-2008 recession, and more. In fact, we have never made a staff member redundant since the company was formed in 2005.
In 2023, the company grew by over 100 instructors, so it’s time for us to expand our staffing again and look for someone special who wants to work with a very friendly and professional organisation.

Who we are looking for and what the job entails

As mentioned, We are seeking someone special with senior management aspirations or experience to help keep our customers happy. At driveJohnson’s, we have two types of customers: learner drivers and our very loyal instructors.
Ensuring both very different types of customers is happy is pivotal in ensuring that our business remains successful and continues to move forward.
In a nutshell, our instructors pay our wages – they are all franchisees, and if they are unhappy, they will leave the company.

How do we ensure our instructors are happy?

First and foremost, we must keep them busy with learners. Secondly, we must be there for them when they need us, whether that be an issue with a learner, they need new business cards or a general complaint. There are instances where a pupil will be unhappy with their lessons, and you will have to mediate the situation by communicating with both the instructor and learner, deciding the fairest decision for both parties. Sometimes, your choices may not be received well by one or both of the concerned parties, but how you deal with their unhappiness will determine whether we stay in business in the long term. Too many unhappy customers over a long period of time never usually ends well.
With the correct training and your existing experience, could you manage this job?
When you’re not on the phones dealing with customer related issues, you will be covering the phones regularly helping the bookings team achieve as many bookings as possible. You may hear the existing staff members say slightly incorrect things over the phone – will you pretend you didn’t hear it, or will you bring it to their attention, work with them and train them to be as good as you? If it’s the latter, continue reading…
You will need to work with other senior management in the office. Sometimes, you may need to help cover their work when they are off on holiday or just need your help because they are overwhelmed during a busy period.
You will need to lead by example during the busiest times and during quiet times (we only get a few); you will need to be proactive, making things happen and utilising the quiet times by improving efficiency in the office or training fellow staff members.

Other requirements

• Must be a positive, confident team player
• Must enjoy a challenge and have an appetite for working hard over a long period of time
• You must be willing to work overtime when the company needs you
• Brilliant communicator with warmth and humility
• Must be willing to assist in other areas of the business
• You should take your learning and development seriously and possess a naturally curious mindset
• Must have good English writing skills.

Main activities include

• Answering the phone and working closely with the bookings team to work as efficiently as possible
• Manage unhappy customers, trying to make them happy again where possible
• Liaise with instructors verbally and virtually to ensure their reasonable needs are met
• Setting goals for staff and checking they have completed their goals accurately and on time
• Regularly report to the Company Director
• Think of innovative ideas and solutions to improve customer experience
• Provide training and support to the team to ensure competency and personal development is achieved
• Maintain team’s knowledge of the business
• Look out for industry updates/changes to the company and update management and staff accordingly
• Any other additional duties that may be deemed necessary to fulfil your duties

Salary: Position Closed

Typical Working hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. One evening a week you may be required to work until 7pm, this wont be a Friday.

• Company pension
• Regular staff incentives and bonuses available throughout the year
• Christmas Bonus
• Free onsite parking, snacks, beverages and more

Training

We don’t expect applicants to be coming to us from a previous driving school with the relevant industry experience, so full training will be given.
You will work closely with the director of the company and an existing senior manager to develop your knowledge.

Interested?

Please send your CV accompanied by a covering letter or short message letting us know which job role you are interested in to: cv@drivejohnsons.co.uk.