A regional service manager is responsible for providing consistent sales and service support to clients within a specific geographic area. This position is typically found in service-based firms, but can also be found in consulting or skilled trade businesses. The primary role of the regional service manager is to provide direction to staff, maintain a consistent product quality, and resolve issues.
In order to become a regional service manager, most people have obtained 10 to 15 years of working experience in the service sector. For example, someone who has been working for a photocopiers services company as a local service provider may be promoted to local manager and then regional service manager. This career path requires consistently high quality output, an excellent understanding of the product, and the ability to work well with both customers and staff.
As regional service manager, he or she reports directly to either a district service manager, or a member of the executive team. The size of the region will vary widely, but is typically based on the number of current and potential clients in the region, rather than the physical size. Be prepared for a significant amount of travel in the role, as the manager must meet with staff on a regular basis to provide support, follow up on issues, and communicate policy and messages from the head office.
In many firms, the regional service manager is expected to set the expectations and quality standards for his or her staff. Part of this process is communicating these standards to staff in a consistent, practical way. Staff members must also understand if performance appraisals are based on these standards or not. The ability to motivate staffers and keep their interest level high is very important in this job. Taking the time to learn about your employees, resolve their work related issues, and provide support where required is a large part of this job.
Problem solving and conflict resolution are required from everyone at a management level, but there are additional expectations for anyone who is a regional service manager. He or she must be able to identify the core issue, address the concern in an honest way, and provide feedback. When an item is escalated to the regional service manager, it is typically due to lack of satisfaction with performance or work quality. Most people create a systematic way to address these issues when they occur, so the same problem or complaint is not repeated.