Senior Specialist - Customer Experience Operations Consumer at MTN

Mission/Core purpose of the Job

• Responsible for supporting and delivering the definition and implementation of an integrated technical and operational architecture and processes required to efficiently and effectively acquire, manage, charge and retain both B2C and B2B customers and partners for MTN’s Digital Services.
• The Senior Specialist will support the Senior Manager of Customer Experience Operations and work closely with  cross-functional teams in MTN to implement world-class customer experience access all MTN Digital Service’s customer-facing platforms, as well as manage all back-end billing, CRM, subscription management and distribution platforms. Customer-facing channels include MTN Play, USSD channels, mtn.co.za and the MTN and Ayoba apps, as well as customer call-centre and IVR interfaces.
• The Senior Specialist will be required to execute on all fronts of the Senior Manager of Customer Experience Operations strategies, process and own them end to end as well as to implement and track key analytics and develop dashboards to provide meaningful insights into customer behaviour.
• They will work towards implementing solutions and strategies defined by the Senior Manager with the goal of minimizing agent assisted customer service calls by implementing and promoting self-service channels, standardised user journeys, messaging, and up to date information packs on all Digital Services for training purposes. They will be required to integrate customer care into systems to allow agents to view and administer customer queries and complaints by having all customers’ information relating to subscriptions, cancellations and welcome and reminder communications.
• The incumbent will also be responsible for assisting in delivering the partner onboarding and management portal, allowing content partners to easily launch and manage new services, track performance and simplifying partner financial administration. They will continue to enhance MTN’s partner management platform with new features and ensure partner compliance with MTN’s Treat Customers Fairly policy.
• Key performance areas include traffic generated to MTN Play and USSD, sales and conversion stats from these platforms, conversion rates across all customer journeys, customer care queries, billing success rates and service onboarding time. The Senior Specialist Customer Operations reports to the Senior Manager of Customer Experience Operations and will support the digital team for B2B and B2C solutions

Context (Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organizational mission etc.)

MTN is entering a new phase in its lifecycle where operational and commercial excellence has become critical for success. The urgency for change has become more heightened amidst increased competitive intensity across all markets in which MTN operates. The Senior Specialist, Customer Operations must therefore support in achieving the successful delivery in context of:

• An expertise-based multicultural organisation 
• A dynamic and evolving field of Telecommunications
• Revolutionary workforce practices which are bringing together global labour markets
• Management of executive and local shareholder expectations across MTN SA and Group
• Achievement of top quartile operating efficiency and effectiveness through scale and common policies and processes
• Dynamic legal and regulatory environment
• Convergence in markets and exploration of non-traditional revenue streams requiring complex interpretation and structuring
• Evolving industry sector constantly presenting new challenges and opportunities to the core businesses
• Rapid horizontal and vertical expansion of MTN, in terms of size, products, customers and geographic distribution

Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's)
Key Deliverables

The Senior Specialist Customer Operations will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:

Strategy Implementation & Planning

• Communicate and align relevant strategy and business plan with partners and team.
• Drive implementation of strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of the digital strategy, to ensure overall digital objectives are achieved; and
• Drive the implementation of relevant elements of the digital strategy and ensure achievement of business plan.

Governance 

• Adhoc, operational and tactical meeting
• Participate in Adhoc and operational meetings 
• Participate in and provide input into tactical meetings as and when required
• Report at process level 

Escalations

• Resolve escalations as per defined escalation / resolution procedures; and
• Notify escalations to manager that have impact on critical path of service delivery or that will result in significant time, scope, employee/customer, or cost impacts if not resolved.

Performance

• Track and report on financial and operational performance metrics; and
• Implement improvement plans in relevant area where needed.

Reporting

• Collate and prepare appropriate daily, weekly, and monthly activity and performance reports, in accordance with the measurement metrics set by management, for the attention of management.

Budgets 

• Execute projects or initiatives in line with business objectives and budget requirements.             

Operational Delivery

Customer Operations:

• Ensure Call Centre agents are trained and enabled to sell and respond to queries on digital products and services.
• Manage call centre activities relating to customer first and second line user support including complaints management, after sales service, and cross selling and up selling, ensuring the quality of the service rendered to the customer meets MTN SA Digitals customer experience standards. 
• Ensure and monitor consistency of customer handling in line with organisational procedures.
• Ensure the call centre team understand the call monitoring and reporting process and implements it successfully.
• Provide coaching and training to call centre agents to address performance gaps and improve overall standards.
• Address and resolve high-risk, high-profile customer issues.
• Understand the dynamics of complaint handling and ensure the achievement of targets; and
• Provide inputs and suggestions to prevent complaints from reoccurring.

Partner Management:

• Conduct operational stakeholder management & support.
• Cascade and communicate business plans and strategy to technology partners, 3rd party service providers and Digital Content partners and internal stakeholders.
• Manage Stakeholder relationships with technology partners, relevant 3rd Party Service and Platform providers, Digital Content Partners; and
• Manage marketing partnerships and agencies involving identifying and negotiating partnering relationships, managing performance and service offering quality and outputs.

Ways of Working 

• Leading by Connecting: Connect people; stimulate collaboration and growth in teams across functions, operations and different cultures. Share experience and knowledge that leads to a learning organization, creating sustainable expertise which drives the development of people and innovative products, 
• Leading by Delivery:  Anticipate situations and take initiative to overcome them. The result is a swift and on time delivery of qualitative and quantitative results.
• Leading by Vision: From analyzing the situation inside and outside the company and seeing opportunities until communicating the vision of the company including new ideas for sustainable business strategies, products, services, and ways of working. The result is an inspiring vision on how to succeed in our markets with our consumers in the center. 
• Leading by Change: From embracing change until leading and facilitating the implementation of change and handling of resistance for senior people. The result is an on-time implementation of change projects and actions while maintaining a high level of motivation and commitment.
• Leading by Owning:  Take responsibility for own results as well as for company results and values. Stimulate this attitude in others, make co-workers accountable. The result is pro-activity, creativity, and motivation: capable people who take ownership. 

Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:

• Minimum of 3-year tertiary degree/Diploma (Bachelor of Commerce, Science, Engineering or related field)
• MBA or Masters (advantageous)

Experience:

• Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in digital products and services 
• Experience working in a large organization with complex systems and processes 
• Experience in customer experience and lifecycle management 
• Hands on business development experience with a proven track record of launching new digital portals and/or Apps 
• Deep understanding of the digital ecosystem, players, business models and industry related best practices
• Understanding emerging markets advantageous
• Worked across diverse cultures and geographies
• Multi-cultural experience is advantageous
• Attitude of Innovation, inventiveness and thought leadership
• Abreast of global mind-set and best practice
• Entrepreneurial spirit, self-driven and ability to motivate a fast-paced team
• English speaker. Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and other official South African languages a plus 

Competencies:

Functional Knowledge: 

• Partner Contract Management and SLA adherence
• Digital content, media and/or applications
• Identifying and Evaluating a Digital Portal Business and Technical Requirements including Business Objectives, Technical Goals, User Behaviours and Patterns, Back-End Systems, Front-End Systems, Data Centres, Growth Projections, Security, Search Engine, Performance, Availability and Maintainability

 Skills

• Business Acumen 
• Analytics and Interpretation
• Strategic Thinking 
• Organizational Agility  
• Digital mind-set
• Dealing with ambiguity and complexity
• Decision Making
• Conflict Management
• Negotiation 
• Financial and Numerical  
• Project Management
• Ability to cope with stressful, rapid changing environment 
• Attention to detail
• Interpersonal skills
• Innovation
• Advanced computer skills
• Relationship skills – to build relationships to facilitate efficient workflows
• Strong “can-do “attitude combined with an ability to use minimum resources to get maximum outputs 
• Time management, specifically the ability to prioritize 
• Flexibility – the ability to adapt and change in the light of changing circumstances / new information 
• Culture diversity management skills 

Behavioural Qualities

• Adaptable
• Complete candour
• Culturally aware 
• Emotional Maturity
• Innovation 
• Integrity
• Leadership
• Team Player

Authorities

• As per MTN DOA

Collaboration (Formal and Informal Relationships)
Responsibility towards:   

• Key external stakeholders: External contractors & partners 

Key internal stakeholders:    

• SM:  Digital Services  
• Online Channels Team 
• Digital Engagement Platform team
• Product Development & Innovation Team
• Business Verticals in MTN
• Digital Solutions team in IT
• Group Digital Team
• The Group’s OTT teams including ayoba and Simfy
• Commercial Business Units including Consumer, Enterprise, Fintech and Wholesale
• Digital CEX and Operations Team
• Senior Manager: Go-to-Market