Customer Service Manager in Blackburn

Our client are a leading solicitor’s firm based in Blackburn, dedicated to providing exceptional legal services to clients nationwide. With a team of experienced professionals, they specialise in handling claims across various service areas, helping individuals and businesses retrieve compensation for financial mis-selling and consumer issues.

We’re seeking an experienced Customer Service Manager to join our growing team within our modern offices in the heart of Blackburn. This is an excellent opportunity for a confident, people-focused leader to take ownership of a team of Customer Claims Handlers — supporting them to deliver high-quality, compliant client outcomes in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Reporting to the Head of Operations, you will lead the day-to-day performance of your team, drive achievement of individual and team KPIs, and play a key role in maintaining the standards expected of an SRA-regulated firm. You will be hands-on with coaching, performance management, and quality assurance, and will work closely with our Compliance, Training, and Operations functions to keep service delivery aligned with regulatory expectations under the SRA Code of Conduct and FCA Consumer Duty.

We are looking for someone who genuinely enjoys developing people, leads with integrity, and can balance commercial performance with the highest standards of client care — particularly when supporting vulnerable customers. If you’re ready to take ownership of a team in a values-led, growing law firm, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and motivate a team of Customer Claims Handlers.
• Set the tone, the standard, and the pace for your team — driving achievement of individual and team KPIs, service levels, and quality benchmarks.
• Manage day-to-day workflow.
• Allocate and prioritise caseload across the team, ensuring claims progress promptly, deadlines are met, and bottlenecks are addressed quickly.
• Drive quality and compliance.
• Monitor calls, written communications, and case file quality to ensure consistency with SRA Standards and Regulations, FCA Consumer Duty, and Courmacs’ internal policies and procedures.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, appraisals, and performance reviews.
• Deliver constructive feedback, identify development needs, and create targeted improvement plans for individuals — working closely with HR and the Training function.
• Handle escalated client matters.
• Resolve referred customer issues, complaints, and complex queries with empathy and judgement, balancing client outcomes with commercial and regulatory requirements.
• Support vulnerable customers.
• Identify customers in vulnerable circumstances and ensure your team handles those interactions with appropriate care, in line with FCA Consumer Duty obligations.
• Manage performance, conduct, and absence.
• Address performance, conduct, and absence issues quickly, fairly, and consistently in line with company policy, supported by HR.
• Contribute to continuous improvement.
• Use customer feedback, complaints data, and team insight to identify trends, recommend process improvements, and contribute to operational projects across the claims function.
• Work cross-functionally.
• Build effective relationships with Compliance, Training, IT, HR, and other operational teams to ensure aligned, joined-up service delivery.
• Support recruitment and onboarding.
• Play an active role in interviewing, selecting, and onboarding new team members, helping new joiners reach competency quickly.
• Deputise where required.
• Represent the Head of Operations in their absence on team-level matters, briefings, and operational meetings.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading a team in a customer service, claims, or contact centre environment.
• A track record of motivating teams to achieve KPIs, service levels, and quality standards.
• Strong coaching and people development skills, with the confidence to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Experience handling escalations, complaints, and difficult conversations with professionalism and empathy.
• Comfortable managing performance, conduct, and absence in line with company policy.
• High standard of verbal and written communication.
• Resilient, organised, and comfortable working in a fast-paced, regulated setting.
• Sound judgement, accountability, and a commitment to acting with integrity.
• Competent in Microsoft Office and confident using CRM or case management systems (working knowledge of ProClaim is desirable but not essential).
• Awareness of SRA regulatory requirements and/or FCA Consumer Duty obligations — desirable.
• Previous experience in a legal, financial services, or claims environment — desirable.
• Management: 2 years (required).
• Customer service: 3 years (required).

Salary: From £35,000 dependent on experience.