Job Description

Job Title:Head of Client Services / CART

Reports To:Commercial Director

Main Purposes of Role

To leadthe performance of EW’s Client Account & Retention Team (CART) ensuring that EW constantly improves renewal rates and has the highest possible renewal rates. To own and lead the response to client complaints. To own, lead and drive successful cross-selling and up-selling of services to clients.

Key Results Areas

1)Continuous improvement in service delivery performance

2)Continuous improvement in contract renewal rates (delivering budgeted renewal rates - £ and number)

3)Continuous improvement and conversion of up- and cross-sell contracts (and delivering associated budgets)

4)Completion, interpretation and preparation of action plans relating to periodic Client Surveys

5)Generation of management and operational reports as required

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Client Retention

  • Take full ownership and responsibility for documenting and managing the renewal process and hitting targets for the retention of clients.
  • Manage a team of Client Account Retention Managers (“CARMs”).
  • Keep abreast of industry and competitor activity, primarily in relation to initiatives aimed at improving renewal performance and service levels.
  • Develop a thorough understanding of historical reasons for non-renewal by sector, company size, fees paid etc. Work with the Commercial Director and service delivery teams to develop commercial propositions that help to enhance the service experience and to reduce contract termination rates.
  • Listen to renewal calls made by the CARMs and identify training needs and areas for improvement. Having identified areas for improvement, use your extensive coaching skills to agree and support CARM’s through agreed personal improvement plans.
  • Manage the timely production of “renewal aid” packs for each client, ensuring that they contain all information relevant to the renewal.
  • To be responsible for renewal pricing and manage renewals within pre-set parameters, ensuring that the use of other incentives to renew are identified and maximised.
  • Take responsibility for identifying process improvements that would improve renewal rate, as well as responsibility for implementing those process improvements.
  • Manage the early renewal process, and ensure that all opportunities for an early renewal are identified and maximised.
  • Ensure that CRM calls are made in line with an agreed schedule, minimising risk of issues escalating and maximising opportunity for upsell and cross-sell.
  • Take personal ownership of any service issues to ensure they are resolved by the appropriate party.
  • Work with the Commercial Director to continually refine renewals pricing methodologies and the overall renewal proposition.
  • Ensure that reasons for non-renewal are accurately recorded and fully understood.
  • On a random basis, accompany Business Managers and Key Account Managers on renewal meetings that they undertake, using this as a learning process to inform and improve the desk based approach.
  • Work closely with the Key Account and service delivery teams to understand key client renewal factors, develop pre-emptive plans to ensure a positive service experience and participate where appropriate in client engagements
  • Ensure that existing client data is kept accurate and fully up to date at all times.
  • Work closely with service delivery teams, to develop inspirational service plans for clients and to continuously monitor the same
  • Identify and track clients that raise issues or complaints, express dissatisfaction or that do not early renew their service with EW, ensuring that all such “at risk” clients are provided with both exceptional and inspirational service leading up to next contract renewal.
  • To drive retention and renewal rates renewal rates upwards as a consequence of inspirational service.

Complaint Management

  • Take responsibility for dealing with service delivery issues or complaints and liaising with service delivery and commercial teams as necessary, resolving each complaint or issue the complete satisfaction of the client.
  • Development and implementation of a structured complaint management system
  • Facilitation of internal communications relating to complaints, and preparation and implementation of appropriate recovery plans
  • Development of remedial action plans to ensure that lessons are learned
  • On-going tracking to ensure the successful on-going implementation of the associated changes

Cross-Selling and Up-Selling

  • Continuous improvement and conversion of up- and cross-sell contracts (and delivering associated budgets)
  • Work with the CARM’s to devise and adopt an “in life” contact and marketing programme for all clients and ensure it is adhered to.
  • Devise, lead and successfully implementand deliver client upsell and cross-selling in line with budget.
  • Work with the marketing manager to identify and plan appropriate campaigns to drive organic growth with existing clients.
  • .
  • Drive improved levels of referrals from the existing client base.
  • Work with Marketing and Service delivery teams to continually improve the quality and volume of case studies available for use by the Sales teams.

Reporting

  • Design and manage a reporting suite that gives full visibility of renewals performance, organic growth, CRM calling and all of the key metrics that underpin that performance.
  • Ensure that the Key Account Team are armed with all the service delivery performance statistics for their renewal meetings.
  • Ensure that the Contracts Administrator sends non-renewal questionnaires to all non-renewals, monitoring results and feeding back to relevant departments.
  • Undertake reason code analysis of non-renewals and recommend changes
  • Lead the successful, continued development of our Client Satisfaction surveys
  • Manage the use of feedback from annual client satisfaction survey to inform in-life CRM calling to clients, identify organic growth opportunities, identify issues, and to aid the renewal process

Person Specification

Qualifications

  • Graduate calibre
  • Ideally with a degree in Business or equivalent

Knowledge and Experience

  • Demonstrable experience of delivering sustained improvement and growth in a B2B sales environment
  • (Ideally) experience of direct selling (new business and/or renewals) in a field based role.
  • Excellent track record of delivering strong client satisfaction results in a B2B environment.
  • Previous telemarketing experience, particularly in promoting new products and services, through various means such as campaigns and follow-up to marketing collateral.
  • Experience of managing the increase in average value of clients in their contract lifetime though active relationship management and the identification of additional client needs
  • Working in cross-functional / multi-disciplinary teams
  • Project Management
  • Previously used at least one recognised CRM system.
  • Experience of managing a team

Skills

  • Strong leadership and management skills.
  • Strong sales – cross- selling and up-selling skills.
  • Strong collaboration skills
  • Able to facilitate dialogue
  • Great coaching, training and team-building skills.
  • Financially aware and numerate,
  • Able to make commercially sensible pricing decisions for contract renewals.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, demonstrating a track record and ability to build relationships internally and with your team.
  • Good telephone skills with the ability to handle complaints that have been escalated from the CARM team.
  • The ability to resolve complaints and disputes effectively, taking ownership of issues and seeing them through to a satisfactory conclusion.
  • Good IT skills, particularly in the use of Microsoft Office

Strictly Private & ConfidentialApril 2017