Client relations manager to contact centre supervisor
A client relations manager already meets 46% of what the contact centre supervisor role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.9/ 100
1 How much of what a contact centre supervisor is expected to do is already part of a client relations manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the contact centre supervisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A contact centre supervisor role treats 8 of its required skills as things a client relations manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create solutions to problems
- customer relationship management
- fix meetings
- follow company standards
- liaise with managers
- manage staff
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A contact centre supervisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a client relations manager background worth leading with.
- already held analyse customer service surveys information skills
- already held contact customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held keep records of customer interaction information skills
- already held customer relationship management business, administration and law
- already held fix meetings management skills
- already held supervise work management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 8 the contact centre supervisor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse staff capacity required
- still to learn forecast workload required
- still to learn motivate employees required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- optional, not held manage resources optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn characteristics of services required
- still to learn call quality assurance management required
- still to learn present reports required
- optional, not held handle helpdesk problems optional
- optional, not held respond to customers' inquiries optional
- still to learn characteristics of products required
- still to learn perform data analysis required
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a contact centre supervisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 characteristics of products study this
- 02 characteristics of services study this
- 03 analyse staff capacity practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held customer relationship management knowledge
- already held fix meetings skill
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held supervise work skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held analyse customer service surveys skill
- already held contact customers skill
- already held customer service knowledge
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held keep records of customer interaction skill
- already held measure customer feedback skill
- already held monitor customer service skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
- optional, not held measure call quality optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
- optional, not held measure call quality optional
- optional, not held coordinate operational activities optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- optional, not held handle helpdesk problems optional
- optional, not held manage resources optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held respond to customers' inquiries optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
45 held skills the contact centre supervisor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role achieve sales targets skill
- not needed by the target role advise on public relations skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business processes skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business requirements skill
- not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying trends skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role build trust skill
- not needed by the target role business communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role collect customer data skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customer service department skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role communication principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
- not needed by the target role data protection knowledge
- not needed by the target role deliver a sales pitch skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role guarantee customer satisfaction skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify new business opportunities skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role knowledge base knowledge
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage accounts skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage customer service skill
- not needed by the target role maximise sales revenues skill
- not needed by the target role perform business analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform customer management skill
- not needed by the target role perform customers’ needs analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role public relations knowledge
- not needed by the target role relationship marketing knowledge
5 further entries not listed here
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn characteristics of products required
- still to learn characteristics of services required
- still to learn call quality assurance management required
- optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
- optional, not held teamwork principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a client relations manager become a contact centre supervisor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A client relations manager already covers 46% of what a contact centre supervisor is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the contact centre supervisor role treats as required.
What skills does a client relations manager need to become a contact centre supervisor?
9 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is characteristics of products.
How hard is the move from client relations manager to contact centre supervisor?
Its learning distance is 53.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.