High School

Those who are considering a career in this field should take classes in English, writing, marketing, public relations, foreign languages, and speech. Participate in high school clubs to hone your team-building, interpersonal, and communication skills.

Postsecondary Education

The minimum educational requirement for client service managers is a bachelors degree. Good options to prepare for this job include majoring in business administration, public relations, marketing, liberal arts, or communications. Courses in psychology, sociology, English, public relations, marketing, advertising, and writing will be useful.

Certification

Customer service certificate programs are available at some community colleges. These programs generally require students to complete 18 to 24 credit hours in subject areas such as customer service skills, conflict resolution, business administration, general management, and computer literacy.

Other Education or Training

SOCAP International, which represents professionals who work in customer care in different industries, offers a variety of continuing education opportunities. Recent classes included Quality Management & Monitoring, Stop the Bleeding: How to Turn Your Complaining Customer into a Loyal Customer, and Elements of Effective Customer Engagement. The National Customer Service Association offers leadership and managerial workshops and other continuing education opportunities.

On-the-job training is sometimes offered by employers so that applicants can learn about corporate policies and company products.

Certification and Licensing

The Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) offers the voluntary certified customer service manager certification to individuals working in the customer service/client services area. This designation is available to individuals who go complete the following training modules: Customer Service for Business Growth and Excellence, Strategic Customer Service, Profit Thru Service, Leadership for Service Excellence, Service Infrastructure, Measurement and Continuous Improvement, and People Management. In addition, the CSIA offers the certified customer experience professional credential for lower-level customer service professionals. The Customer Care Institute and International Customer Service Association also provide certification. No licensing is required in this profession.

Experience requirements vary for client services managers depending on the specific job. Typically, however, individuals need four to five years of experience in customer service and at least two years of supervisory experience.

Successful candidates must have exceptional customer service, problem solving, negotiation, and managerial skills. Attention to detail is essential. Individuals should be friendly and personable with a great deal of patience. They must be team players with excellent communication verbal and written skills. Computer skills and the ability to use software programs such as Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint are also needed.