Fabian Van Niekerk
Customer Service Operations Manager
Cape Town
Summary
Operations and customer service management professional with 15 years of experience in technology and service industries. Successfully managed teams of over 90 agents at EXL and 100+ at Telus, focusing on operational excellence and customer satisfaction. Achievements include launching new campaigns and implementing Lean Six Sigma practices to improve service delivery. Strong leadership skills with a history of driving high performance in diverse teams.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Customer Service Operations Manager
Telus Digital South Africa
06.2024 - Current
- Overseeing and directing Uber US & Canada campaign (operating unit) comprising 100+ agents and 5+ team leaders.
- Elevated customer satisfaction by utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies.
- oversee, mentor, and guide all customer service staff to provide outstanding customer service, increasing efficiency and lowering churn.
- Enhance smooth and positive progression along customer journey from first contact to post-purchase
- ensure vendor manager is informed weekly and monthly via meetings, presentations, and alternative interactions (weekly and monthly business reviews)
Lead Assistant Manager (Level 2-Campaign Manager)
EXL Cape Town
05.2023 - 06.2024
- Start up of an American insurance campaign for a Global Insurance Conglomerate. The role requires Project Startup, Project Management, Transition Management and Leadership.
- Managed team of 90-100 agents and 4 team leaders
- Responsible for the successful execution of all Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) projects related to the Campaign.
- Work with internal and external teams to ensure that all processes are completed on time and within budget.
- By managing these relationships, I ensure that outsourced processes are executed efficiently, cost-effectively, and to the highest quality standards.
- Plan and implement the coaching and development of staff in line with broader departmental direction and objectives.
- Ensure Service levels are met and provide corrective action through-out the working shifts.
- Recruit, train, and mentor BPO staff, providing them with the guidance and resources necessary to perform their duties effectively.
- Liaise with clients to understand their requirements, set expectations, and maintain ongoing communication for continuous service improvement.
- Analyze performance data to identify trends, forecast demand, and allocate resources accordingly to meet business objectives.
- EXL CAPE TOWN May 2023 - June 2024 EXL CAPE TOWN
Online Sports Betting Customer Service and Sales Manager
Sunbet, Division of Sun International, Cape Town
04.2018 - 02.2023
- Head of Call Centre branch in Cape Town reporting directly to Head office in Johannesburg. 1 Call Centre in Milnerton, 2nd Call Centre in Sandton -Managed a team of 80 agents
- Explore and integrate new processes and methodologies to streamline operations, enhance service delivery, and stay competitive in the market.
- Responsible for using quantitative and qualitative data to identify opportunities to coach and lead the contact centre to achieve its goals
- Prepare work schedules and station arrangements and keep attendance records.
- Remove suspected cheaters, such as card counters or other players who may have systems that shift the odds of winning to their favor.
- Monitor staffing levels to ensure that games are adequately staffed for each shift, arranging for staff rotations and breaks and locating substitute employees as necessary.
- Establish policies on issues such as the type of gambling offered and the odds, the extension of credit, or the serving of food and beverages.
- Review operational expenses, budget estimates, betting accounts, or collection reports for accuracy.
- Record, collect, or pay off bets, issuing receipts as necessary.
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
- Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
- Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
- I also project managed the deployment from CRM Purecloud to Pure connect.
- Evalex- Evaluation, understanding and assessing potential candidates from their psych tests.
- Budget- Ensuring costs of overtime and hours worked are kept in line with business requirement.
- Ensure rent and operating costs are all accounted for and within budget
- SUNBET, DIVISION OF SUN INTERNATIONAL, CAPE TOWN April 2018 - February 2023 SUNBET -Online Sports Betting Customer Service and Sales Manager
Customer Service Manager
Merchants, Division Of Dimension Data, Cape Town
05.2008 - 03.2018
- Managed a team of 72
- Position Summary & Environment
- Ensure excellent customer service and the smooth running of the Contact Centre. In consultation with the Senior Customer Service Managers, Customer Service Managers lead, develop and co-ordinate all customer service staff to deliver customer satisfaction through excellent customer service, increased efficiency and decreased churn.
- The position operates in a fast paced, dynamic environment with multiple and competing demands upon the attention and time of the incumbent. This position has intense staff and customer interaction requirements with people management issues as the focus of the role. This position operates in a rotating roster environment.
- Key Area’s:
- Plan and implement the coaching and developing of staff in line with broader departmental direction and objectives
- Undertake an active programme of performance reviews for direct reports with appropriate training and recognition.
- Review employee performance in a formal capacity and provide feedback by Identifying skill gaps and development opportunities.
- Contribute to the recruitment and selection process by interviewing and informing selection decisions as required.
- Manage staff adherence to rosters, attendance and leave to ensure the optimum level of customer service resources is available
- Take ownership of escalated customer service issues and manage the effective resolution as required.
- Ensure regular and effective communication with direct reports including a balance of formal and informal meetings by liaising with the Workforce Management team to ensure that rosters are unaffected and shrinkage targets are met.
- Provide performance statistics against targets and weekly/monthly update reports to feed into management reporting as required.
- Identify opportunities for improvement in systems and processes and propose solutions as appropriate
- Contribute to any projects undertaken by the department, ensuring that effective participation occurs and deliverables are achieved in a timely manner
- Responsible for attendance and exception management to eliminate zero adherences. Actively monitor team statistics and call recordings to ensure consistency and adherence toward goals.
- Provide team with feedback on KPI reviews
- Review and submission of timesheets to Human Resource
- Direct report to Customer Service Manager on teams performance
- Monitoring of all hardware and reporting of faults on the network.
- Monitor and execute system backups.
- Attend conference calls with manager when he speaks to managers across our Virtual Contact Centre (VCC).
- As a manager I am often tasked with adopting under-performing staff and assisting them by reaching their full potential. The teams I have managed have been nominated for team of the year awards in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
- MERCHANTS, DIVISION OF DIMENSION DATA, CAPE TOWN May 2008 - March 2018 MERCHANTS
Timeline
Customer Service Operations Manager
Telus Digital South Africa
06.2024 - Current
Lead Assistant Manager (Level 2-Campaign Manager)
EXL Cape Town
05.2023 - 06.2024
Online Sports Betting Customer Service and Sales Manager
Sunbet, Division of Sun International, Cape Town
04.2018 - 02.2023
Customer Service Manager
Merchants, Division Of Dimension Data, Cape Town
05.2008 - 03.2018