Customer Service Manager in Hampshire

LeMieux is the UK’s fastest-growing equestrian and lifestyle brand, with a global community and big ambitions. Our customers expect and deserve service that reflects the quality of our products. This role exists to make sure that we deliver on that promise consistently, at every touchpoint, every time. The Customer Services Manager will lead our Customer Service and Returns teams, owning the customer experience end to end.

The remit covers everything from how a customer enquiry is handled, to how quickly a return is processed, to how we use the insight from those interactions to make the rest of the business better. The successful candidate will manage a team of 8 that has real potential and a clear mandate from senior leadership to invest, modernise, and raise the bar.

What You’ll Do

• Team Leadership and Culture
  • Lead, develop and inspire the Customer Service and Returns team to deliver consistently excellent service.
  • Build a customer-first culture grounded in ownership, empathy and problem solving, establishing a genuine "go above and beyond" mentality across the team.
  • Set clear expectations, performance standards and ways of working, and hold the team accountable to them with fairness and consistency.
  • Coach individuals through regular one-to-ones, structured performance reviews and tailored development plans.
  • Design and run a structured onboarding and ongoing training programme that enhances and develops performance over time.
• Customer experience and service delivery
  • Own the customer service experience across all contact channels: email, telephone, live chat, social, and returns communications.
  • Drive first-contact resolution and reduce avoidable customer effort wherever possible.
  • Establish clear service standards, tone of voice and communication guidelines that reflect the LeMieux brand.
  • Review customer interactions regularly to identify quality issues, coaching opportunities and process improvements.
  • Feed customer insight, recurring issues and friction points back into the wider business so we improve at source, not just at the point of complaint.
  • Position Customer Services as a brand-building function that contributes directly to retention, advocacy and lifetime value.
• Returns and refund operations
  • Manage the Returns Supervisor and oversee the end-to-end returns and refund process.
  • Drive same-day returns processing as the operational standard, where physically possible.
  • Improve communication and joint working between Returns, Customer Service and Warehouse teams to remove handover friction.
  • Support the implementation of a new Returns platform, reducing customer friction, improving visibility on inbound volumes, and supporting better resource planning.
  • Introduce clear KPIs and service levels across the Returns operation.
• Process improvement and operational efficiency
  • Audit existing Customer Service and Returns processes to identify inefficiencies, risks and opportunities to automate.
  • Remove unnecessary manual work and make better use of the systems and tools we already have.
  • Map and document standard operating procedures across both functions; reducing dependency on undocumented, in-the-head ways of working.
  • Deliver continuous improvement initiatives that improve productivity, customer experience and scalability.
  • Work cross-functionally with Ecommerce, Warehouse, Trade and Operations to improve the end-to-end customer journey.
• Systems, reporting and performance
  • Own Customer Service and Returns reporting end to end.
  • Build accurate, actionable reporting that supports day-to-day performance management and informs senior decision making.
  • Track and report on core KPIs including CSAT, NPS, SLA performance, response and resolution times, returns turnaround, refund processing, contact volumes and trends, and team productivity and quality.
  • Evaluate the customer service tech stack and drive better utilisation of existing systems — including the appropriate adoption of AI-led tooling for productivity and customer communication.
  • Use data and insight to spot customer trends and improvement opportunities before they become problems.

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience managing Customer Service teams within Ecommerce, Retail or Consumer Brands.
• Demonstrable track record of leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong understanding of customer journey management and customer experience principles.
• Experience managing service KPIs, reporting and operational performance to a senior audience.
• Hands-on process improvement and continuous improvement experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional working skills, particularly with Warehouse, Operations and Ecommerce teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to set tone of voice standards by example.
• Experience managing complaints, escalations and customer recovery including the difficult ones.

Desirable

• Experience managing Returns and Refund operations.
• Experience implementing or migrating customer service platforms (e.g. Gorgias, Zendesk, Freshdesk) or Returns platforms (e.g. ReBound, Loop, Narvar).
• Working knowledge of AI tools for customer communication, agent productivity and quality monitoring.
• Experience in a premium or brand-led consumer business where service standards are a differentiator.

How you work

• Genuinely customer-first not just in language, but in instinct.
• A positive, hands-on leader who builds team confidence and capability.
• Commercially aware: you understand that great service is also good business.
• A strong coach and developer of people, who takes pride in others' growth.
• Process-oriented with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Willing to roll up your sleeves and work operationally when the situation calls for it.
• Set a high bar and hold it.

Why Join LeMieux?

Founded in 2006, LeMieux is the UK’s fastest-growing equestrian and lifestyle brand with a global presence. Driven by innovation and passion for horses and riders, we’re expanding our 150-strong team based in our Romsey HQ and looking for exceptional people to join us on our journey. We’re on a mission to be the most exciting equestrian brand on the planet. To get there, we need exceptional people who thrive in a fast-paced, creative environment and a culture that values innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving. Whether you ride or not, you’ll share our energy, determination, and obsession with delivering excellence for our community. From financial security to time with your loved ones (on two legs or four), we continually invest in our employees. We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to thrive. We believe that varied perspectives drive innovation and strengthen our team. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities - including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, and neurodiversity. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively promote an environment of respect, support, and opportunity for all. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process.