Assistant Operations Manager - Call Centre / BPO Customer Service

Department: Customer Service / Operations
Location: Sungai Petani Kedah Malaysia
Reports To: Senior Operations Manager

Job Purpose

We are looking for a highly accountable and proactive Assistant Operations Manager – Customer Service to lead and manage customer service operations, ensuring strong team performance, service quality, client satisfaction, and continuous operational improvement.

This role requires more than managing day-to-day operations. The successful candidate must be able to take ownership of the overall performance of their assigned customer service operation, think strategically, identify problems before they escalate, and independently develop practical solutions.

The ideal candidate is confident in managing clients and stakeholders and is not simply a yes person. They must be comfortable providing professional recommendations, raising concerns, and constructively challenging requests when they may negatively impact service delivery, employees, customers, or agreed KPIs.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Service Operations Management

• Take ownership of the overall performance and delivery of assigned customer service operations.
• Ensure daily operations are running efficiently and consistently in accordance with client requirements, SOPs, SLAs, and internal KPIs.
• Monitor service performance and proactively identify operational issues, risks, and gaps.
• Ensure customer service teams consistently deliver a high standard of customer experience.
• Work closely with Team Leaders and Supervisors to address operational and performance challenges.
• Manage escalations and ensure appropriate action is taken to prevent recurring issues.
• Ensure operational issues are followed through until they are fully resolved.
  
  Client & Stakeholder Management
  
• Act as a key operational contact for assigned clients.
• Participate in and lead client meetings, operational reviews, and performance discussions where required.
• Present customer service performance, operational challenges, trends, and improvement plans clearly and confidently.
• Build strong and professional relationships with clients and internal stakeholders.
• Manage client expectations and communicate operational limitations or risks proactively.
• Provide recommendations based on operational data and customer service insights.
• Professionally challenge requests or expectations when they may negatively impact service delivery, employee performance, customer experience, or agreed KPIs.
• Propose practical alternatives rather than simply agreeing to every request.

Performance & KPI Management

Monitor, analyse, and drive improvement across key customer service and contact centre KPIs, including:

• Service Level
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Average Handling Time (AHT)
• First Contact Resolution (FCR)
• Response and Resolution Time
• Productivity
• Attendance and Adherence
• Backlog Management
• Escalation Rate
• Client-specific KPIs

The successful candidate should not only report performance numbers but must be able to understand and explain why performance is changing, identify the root cause, and implement actions to improve results.

People Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Team Leaders, Supervisors, and customer service teams.
• Ensure clear performance expectations and accountability across the operation.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and coaching sessions.
• Identify capability gaps and work with relevant stakeholders to develop improvement and training plans.
• Address underperformance promptly and constructively.
• Build a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Support succession planning and development of future Team Leaders and Supervisors.

Strategic & Continuous Improvement

• Analyse operational performance and customer service trends to identify improvement opportunities.
• Review recurring issues and identify root causes rather than only addressing immediate problems.
• Develop and implement action plans to improve customer experience, efficiency, quality, and team performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, workflows, communication, and service delivery.
• Anticipate operational risks and implement preventive measures.
• Work with management and clients to develop strategies that support long-term service and operational improvements.
• Balance customer expectations, client requirements, employee capability, and operational realities when making recommendations.

Candidate Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience in Customer Service, Contact Centre, or BPO Operations.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a leadership or management position, preferably managing Team Leaders, Supervisors, or multiple customer service teams.
• Proven experience managing customer service operations and performance KPIs.
• Experience in handling client or stakeholder relationships is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of contact centre and customer service metrics.
• Demonstrated experience in managing operational escalations and performance improvement initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong leadership and people management capabilities.
• Ability to work independently and make sound operational decisions.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and changing environment.

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong Ownership – Takes responsibility for outcomes and follows through until issues are resolved.
• Strategic Thinking – Understands the bigger picture and anticipates potential challenges.
• Problem Solving – Identifies root causes and develops practical solutions.
• Client Management – Can confidently manage expectations and difficult conversations.
• Constructive Challenge – Will respectfully challenge ideas or requests when necessary and provide better alternatives.
• Accountability – Holds themselves and their teams accountable for commitments and performance.
• Leadership – Develops and motivates teams while maintaining high performance standards.
• Data-Driven Decision Making – Uses operational data and insights to make recommendations.
• Communication – Communicates clearly and confidently with employees, management, and clients.

Working Schedule:

• 5 working days per week
• Monday - Friday ( 9a.m - 6.30 p.m )
  
  Salary
  • Basic RM 5000 - RM 7000
  
  

  Benefits
  

  • EPF, Socso
  • Birthday Leave
  • Maternity leave
  • Annual Leave, Maternity Leave, Parental Leave, etc
  • Opportunities for promotion
  • Professional development

  
  Expected Start Date:
  Immediately