Client Overview

Our client is a premier omnichannel brand operating within the lighting, homeware, and design industry. Serving a diverse global audience across direct-to-consumer (D2C) buyers, Tala Pro trade members, retail partners, and B2B partnership clients, the company combines high-touch human support with modern AI agent automation to deliver seamless, accountable customer experiences across the UK and US markets.

Job Description

We are seeking a hands-on, technically minded Customer Service Manager to lead, strategize, and unify customer service operations across email, phone, chat, and social channels. In this role, you will manage team scheduling across UK and US timezones, act as the primary escalation point for complex D2C, trade, retail, and warranty issues, and coach agents toward measurable quality improvements. Simultaneously, you will own the AI customer service strategy—building, tuning, and optimizing AI agents, automations, and internal tools to drive resolution and deflection rates while ensuring every customer promise is kept.

Schedule

•  Planning and managing coverage across UK and US business hours, GMT/BST & EST/PST overlap, 40 hours per week

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Omnichannel Standards: Define and execute the customer service strategy; establish unified service standards across email, phone, chat, and social media for D2C customers, Tala Pro trade members, retail partners, and B2B partnership clients.
• Workforce & Inbox Management: Plan staffing and shift coverage across UK and US hours; own inbox routing, ticket prioritization, absence coverage, and daily operational execution plans; ensure proactive follow-through so no customer ever has to chase an update.
• Escalation & Resolution Ownership: Serve as the primary escalation point across all customer tiers, including trade accounts, retail partners, and warranty claims; step in via phone to de-escalate issues and drive problems to permanent resolution.
• AI Agent Strategy & Optimization: Own the end-to-end AI support strategy; determine which inquiries AI agents handle; build, run, audit, and tune AI knowledge bases and rules daily to maximize resolution and deflection metrics.
• Team Coaching & Process Improvement: Coach customer service team members through structured quality reviews and targeted training; identify operational bottlenecks and build custom workflows or automations to elevate team efficiency.

Must-Have Requirements

• Leadership Experience: 3+ years as a Customer Service Manager or in a comparable team-lead role, ideally within an omnichannel premium brand serving consumers alongside trade and retail accounts.
• Strategy & Hands-On Delivery: Proven track record of architecting a customer service strategy and executing it directly on the front lines.
• AI Agent Management: Practical experience deploying and managing customer service AI agents (e.g., Gorgias, Zendesk, Intercom, or similar), including output auditing, knowledge base/rule refinement, and tracking resolution/deflection performance.
• Technical & Builder Aptitude: Strong technical fluency across helpdesk platforms, Shopify, ERPs (NetSuite), APIs, SQL, and basic scripting; demonstrated ability to build tools, automations, or workflows independently (including leveraging AI for coding) with concrete examples to share.
• Team Coaching & Data Orientation: Experience driving measurable improvements in agent quality through reviews and training; data-driven approach with a clear grasp of underlying operational metrics.

Nice-to-Have Requirements

• Industry background in lighting, homeware, interior design, or premium consumer goods.
• Direct experience managing B2B customer service, trade membership programs, or retail partner operations.
• Prior experience designing and implementing custom quality-assurance (QA) frameworks from scratch.

Why Join This Team

• Complete ownership over both human service operations and AI agent architecture
• High-impact leadership role unifying D2C, trade, and B2B retail support across UK and US markets
• Builder-friendly culture that empowers technical problem-solving, scripting, and workflow automation
• Collaborative, quality-obsessed team dedicated to delivering accountable, white-glove customer experiences

Independent Contractor Perks

• Health insurance coverage for eligible location
• Permanent work from home
• Immediate hiring

Note

• Please click the "Apply" button to complete your application, including the assessment questions, technical check, and voice recording. Your hourly pay rate will be established based on your performance in the application process; submissions with all requirements fulfilled will receive priority review.

One application, multiple possibilities: When you apply, our team reviews your background against all current openings, not just this one! If a different role fits your skills, we'll get in touch! We also encourage you to keep exploring our job board and apply directly to any position that excites you.