Senior Specialist - Partner Account Management Commercial Operations SA at MTN

Job Description

• The Senior Specialist: Partner Account Management  develops and manages key relationships between MTN and its outsourced partners in alignment with the Customer Support strategy, thereby contributing to the consistent delivery of excellent customer service.
• The Senior Specialist: Partner Account Management team are guided by standards, insights and recommendations from the strategic partnerships teams, but ascertain proper vendor and contract management for the  functions which they support.
• The Operational Partnership Management team works closely with MTN’s functional teams to establish partnership service models (e.g. in- and outsourcing) in order to navigate touchpoints and intricacies between the types of work performed and customers served.

Responsibilities
Operational Planning

• Creates and manages contracts with vendors to address the respective business units’ needs (e.g. for 24/7 or multi-skilled support, or flexibility)
• Communicates and tracks partner KPIs (and personalises these based on the customers served)
• Tracks inefficiencies in their respective partners/vendors by comparing in-house and outsourced metrics and best-practice guidelines.
• Responsible for invoice reconciliation with partners.
• Review s partners’ performance to ensure targets are met and aligned to MTN’s objectives
• Provides recommendations for improvement to partners (e.g. inefficiencies, lack of skills, low NPS)
• Ensures integration between partners and platforms used where required.
• Tracks partnering costs and expenses against the available budgets.
• Onboards vendors onto new systems and identifies training needs for onboarding.
• Align operational targets to business strategy of the Customer Operations Unit.
• Implement strategies for management of Outsourced Partners.
• Manage external telecommunications accounts by building, managing and maintaining strong account relationships (through effective verbal and written communication).
• Conduct ongoing operational analysis of the systems, processes and procedures used.
• Drive best practice, continuous improvement and innovation at process and procedure level.
• Initiate and maintain service improvement plans (SIP’s) in line with call centre performance.
• Actively monitor progress of account and provide timely feedback to the business.
• Proactively identify potential areas of risk and put contingency plans in place.

Operational Implementation

• Analyse and interpret all data that influences the management of Outsourced Partners.
• Collaborate with internal resources to ensure execution and delivery of account requirements and objectives, communicate and ensure implementation of strategies and plans for Outsourced Partners.
• Schedule and attend daily, weekly and monthly review sessions with outsourced partners and report on issues that require senior management involvement.
• Operate as lead contact point for all matters specific to assigned account.
• Assist with high severity issues or escalate issues where required.
• Manage and develop ongoing relationships with Outsourced Partners and ensure that both parties are content and fulfilling their agreements.
• Facilitate communications between the Outsourced Partners and MTN as required.
• Update senior management on a regular basis on day-to-day activities in the call centre.
• Liaise with supporting departments and functions on issues raised.
• Ensure that the billing process flow smoothly.
• Manage the day-to-day activities of the Account Management area.
• Ensure that the Outsourced partners meet customer needs and requirements.

Budget Management

• Provide input into budgets and forecasting for managing Outsourced Partners.
• Monitor costs and ensure cost effectiveness.
• Identify areas where money is lost, seek opportunities to reduce expenditure and generate additional revenue.
• Determine initiatives to optimize resources and ensure cost effectiveness by maximising cost/benefit.

Customer Satisfaction

• Build and maintain solid relationships with all stakeholders and ensure effective and consistent delivery of excellent customer experience.
• Understand customer needs, develop, and fine-tune service delivery accordingly, ensuring that effective PPP’s are in place, valid and consistently applied.
• Assess customer requests and needs and filter this information through to relevant parties to continually improve all aspects of service delivery.
• Put contingency plans in place to prevent delays and re-occurrence of problems, as well as to enhance the customer experience.
• Support the process of alignment of service delivery to changing business needs and ensure effective customer service management
• Initiate change by continuously focusing on the customisation and improvement of all aspects of pricing, solutions and service delivery.
• Investigate, research and maximize technology to provide state of the art customer service

Reporting

• Collate review information and reports against Outsourced Partner plans, and report variances.
• Submit weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports regarding the account and its defined deliverables, including Escalations and turnaround times, integration with other departments, exceptions and SLA requirements.
• Ensure operational and reporting deliverables defined for the Outsourced Partner are met at all times, or escalated to senior management if necessary.
• Draft Account proposals, performance reports toward ensuring availability of information within area of responsibility.

Project Management

• Develop and drive the execution of agreed outsource partner projects.
• Drive the implementation, tracking, monitoring and compliance of Projects.
• Contract management in line with Procurement Policies.
• Co-ordinate project reporting.
• Risk management (budget, scope, exposure, audits, resources, document control systems etc). 

Qualifications

•  Bachelors degree in Marketing, Commerce or relevant diploma
• At least 5 years experience in an operational customer service discipline/Call Centre.
•  At least 2-3 years of leadership experience in account management.
•  A strong background in customer service or contact centre management.