Job Details

About Upshop:

Upshop is the market leader in Total Store Operations solutions for the Grocery and C-Store markets. We offer an AI-powered, SaaS platform connecting Fresh, Center, eCommerce, and DSD department operations to deliver a simplified, smarter, more connected store experience. Upshop customers realize significant improvements in sales, shrink, food safety, and sustainability across the entire store. 150+ retail chain accounts trust our software in over 30k+ stores, 9 countries, and 3 continents.

Overview of the Role:

We are seeking a highly strategic and experienced Director of Customer Support to lead the vision and execution of Upshop's customer support operations. This role will drive the long-term success of our support teams, optimize the customer experience, and implement strategies to improve retention, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Reporting directly to the SVP of Professional Services, this position will focus on managing the larger vision of the department, aligning it with Upshop's overall goals, and empowering customer support teams across the organization. You will be responsible for leading, mentoring, and driving the development of team managers while working cross-functionally to enhance customer success.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Vision:

• Lead the development and execution of Upshop's customer support strategy, aligning it with business goals, product development, and customer success initiatives.
• Drive long-term operational and customer satisfaction goals, using data and customer insights to shape support strategies.
• Define the customer support department's vision and goals, ensuring that they evolve in tandem with Upshop's growth, product offerings, and market expansion.
• Be the key voice for customer support across the organization, advocating for customer needs and priorities.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, mentor, and manage a growing team of customer support managers and team leads, ensuring they meet both short-term and long-term performance and growth targets.
• Foster a culture of high performance, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the customer support department.
• Provide coaching and leadership development to customer support managers, ensuring they have the skills and resources to effectively lead their teams and achieve business goals.

Customer Experience & Satisfaction:

• Ensure the delivery of a seamless, high-quality customer experience across all support channels (Zendesk, JIRA, etc.).
• Develop and implement best practices for managing escalations, resolving customer issues, and tracking customer satisfaction.
• Lead efforts to understand customer feedback, identifying key trends and integrating insights into customer support strategies.
• Drive initiatives to proactively reduce churn and improve customer retention by aligning customer support with broader customer success strategies.

Performance Monitoring & Reporting:

• Set, monitor, and continuously optimize key performance indicators (KPIs) such as response times, ticket quality, agent productivity, customer satisfaction, and churn metrics.
• Establish reporting frameworks to provide senior leadership with transparent, actionable insights on customer support performance and service delivery.
• Regularly review and analyze customer support data to identify trends, opportunities for improvement, and potential risks to customer satisfaction.
• Ensure accountability in service delivery through the regular review of agent performance, ticket quality, and operational processes.

Operational Excellence & Process Improvement:

• Oversee the optimization of all support operations, ensuring workflows are efficient and scalable to meet the growing needs of the business.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Product, Sales, Marketing) to implement initiatives that improve the customer experience and drive business outcomes.
• Lead the implementation of new tools and technologies to improve operational efficiency, including but not limited to Zendesk Talk and JIRA.
• Drive process improvements by identifying bottlenecks, creating new workflows, and recommending new tools and technologies to enhance productivity and service delivery.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with internal teams, including Product, Marketing, and Sales, to ensure a unified, customer-centric approach to product launches, customer feedback loops, and ongoing support improvements.
• Serve as a strategic partner in the development of new services, ensuring customer feedback is taken into account to enhance product offerings and overall experience.

SaaS-Specific Responsibilities:

• Lead the team in successfully onboarding new customers, ensuring they receive exceptional support and are fully equipped to leverage Upshop's platform.
• Collaborate with the Customer Success team to improve onboarding, reduce churn, and improve customer retention strategies.
• Advocate for customers by analyzing customer feedback, identifying areas for improvement, and driving product enhancements based on customer pain points.

Customer Feedback & Insights:

• Collect and analyze feedback through surveys, NPS scores, and customer reviews to continuously improve service delivery.
• Develop actionable insights from customer feedback to inform decision-making and optimize customer support performance.

Qualifications:

• 4-year degree or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in a leadership or management role within a customer support environment, preferably in a SaaS or technology company.
• Proven experience in formulating and executing customer service strategies that align with long-term business goals.
• Exceptional leadership experience, with the ability to inspire and motivate a diverse, high-performing team.
• Expertise in using CRM and support platforms such as Zendesk, JIRA, Confluence, and Pager Duty.
• A strong passion for improving the customer experience and delivering value at every touchpoint in the customer journey.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong ability to lead teams and present to executive leadership.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to identify trends, risks, and opportunities in customer support data.
• Proven track record of driving operational improvements and increasing team efficiency while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience managing 24/7 support environments and leading remote or hybrid teams.
• Deep understanding of customer service frameworks, best practices, and performance management.
• SaaS or tech experience in high-growth companies.
• Advanced knowledge of Zendesk Talk, ticket time recording, and managing agent performance through CRMs.

Benefits/Perks:

• Hybrid working environment
• Competitive salary
• Employer-matched 401(k) plan
• Attractive paid time off policy
• Career growth and development opportunities
• Home office support set-up