Somerset West: Helpdesk Manager

The main purpose of this role is to lead our technical support team and ensure our help desk offers efficient and effective technical support to our customers. This role is critical to delivering exceptional support to our clients and internal teams by overseeing all help desk activities, managing staff performance, improving processes, and ensuring accountability for service levels to our clients by monitoring staff KPIs. Duties will include, but are not limited to: Team Leadership and Management Lead, mentor, and develop the help desk team to ensure high levels of performance and morale. Set clear expectations and KPIs for help desk staff, holding them accountable for the daily actions required. Build a culture of professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement. Hire new staff according to team requirements. We expect the manager to present to the managing director on all team requirements. Train the team following quarterly reviews, and where there are shortfalls in skills Strategic Planning & Implementation Develop and execute a help desk strategy that aligns with company goals and drives operational excellence. Establish clear policies, procedures, and service standards to ensure consistency and high-quality support. Plan ahead for team growth and evolving customer needs, ensuring long-term scalability. Process Optimisation Continuously assess workflows to identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Implement automation, new tools, and process improvements to streamline operations and improve response times. Document and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure consistency and compliance. Coaching, Training and Motivation Provide continuous coaching, focusing on each team members strengths and areas for growth. Provide a clear training plan to all new Help Desk employees so that they can perform their roles and responsibilities confidently. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and customer-first thinking. Motivate the team to consistently meet or exceed their KPIs. Issue Resolution and Escalation Serve as the final escalation point for critical or complex support cases. Establish clear escalation paths per network to ensure timely resolution of issues. Partner with other departments to resolve systemic problems and prevent recurrence. Reporting and Analysis Track and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs), including: Ticket resolution times SLA compliance rates Customer satisfaction scores Ensure ticket backlog is cleared out, if not, make sure we prioritise and close the oldest tickets first. First-contact resolution rates Ticket escalation trends Prepare and present weekly reports to the Managing Directors, highlighting bottlenecks, network-specific issues, and clear actions for improvement. Knowledge Management Maintain an up-to-date knowledge base for internal and external use. Ensure all team members are trained on new products, technologies, and processes. Promote knowledge sharing within the team to reduce repeated issues and improve first-contact resolution rates. Quality Control Conduct regular quality assurance checks to maintain service excellence: Review fault logging for accuracy and completeness. Verify correct assignment and tracking of third-party work packages. Audit phone recordings to ensure professionalism and proper handling of calls. Check ticket categorisation and prioritisation to ensure accuracy and compliance with ODM standards