Customer Support Manager

**Customer Support Manager – Newcastle – circa £50K base + benefits** We are recruiting on behalf of an organisation based in Newcastle, who have a Dental Practice Management Software - providing innovative solutions trusted by dental practices across the UK and Ireland. Customer support is the cornerstone to their success, and therefore this role is, and always will be, at the very heart of the business. The Customer Support Manager is responsible for ensuring the dental practice clients receive consistently excellent support that is responsive, empathetic, and effective. You will lead the transformation of the Customer Support team, to consistently deliver high-quality service to our customers on both technical and non-technical queries. A major focus will be to build a culture of ownership, positivity, and continuous improvement within the team. This role also acts as a key voice of the customer, driving enhancements to our processes, products, and overall customer experience. The role currently has 4 direct reports: First Line Support Team Lead, two Second Line Engineers, and an Infrastructure Administrator, and will require some part time resource for internal IT. It will be up to you to make recommendations to the Managing Director for any changes to the team structure, size or shape that will allow them to deliver the best possible service. You will use your leadership skills to motivate, train, and develop team members. You should have strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with our customers, listen to their feedback, and take pride in leaving them feeling valued and supported. You prefer talking on the phone to emailing (the vast majority of our cases come via the phones, and our customers need issues fixing quickly when their patients are sitting in the dentist’s chair waiting). This team is about fast paced, first time resolution of our customers problems, rather than lengthy email exchanges that eventually lead to a resolution. Key Responsibilities: Customer experience & service delivery Ensure customers receive timely, accurate, and empathetic support that reflects the companies values and commitment to, and understanding of, dental practices Monitor service levels, ticket quality, and customer satisfaction, driving improvements where needed Resolve complex or escalated issues with professionalism, empathy and urgency Build strong relationships with practices to understand their real-world challenges and ensure their needs are represented internally Team leadership & capability building Lead, coach, and develop the Customer Support team to operate confidently, positively, and consistently Build team capability through structured recruitment, induction, training, coaching, QA reviews, and skills development programmes Set clear expectations on communication quality, ownership, and follow-through—and help team members meet and exceed them Foster a culture of positivity, proactivity, accountability, and continuous improvement Identify performance gaps and implement constructive, targeted interventions to improve individual and team outcomes Operational Excellence Oversee daily support operations, ensuring efficient triage, prioritisation, and resolution of cases Own and improve support processes, documentation, knowledge bases, and tooling (e.g., Freshdesk ticketing system, Zoom phone system) Analyse support trends and root causes to reduce recurring issues and increase self-service Work closely with Product, Development, Onboarding, and Training teams to ensure seamless customer journeys and clear escalation pathways Prepare and present support KPIs, insights, and recommendations to leadership Customer Advocacy & Cross-Functional Collaboration Represent the customer’s perspective in product discussions, release planning, and service improvement initiatives Act as an internal advocate for quality, reliability, and usability of the SfD platform Ensure changes (e.g., product updates, incident responses) are communicated clearly to customers and the support team Leadership of Cyber Security, Infrastructure Administrator, and Internal IT Provide day-to-day line management, structure, and support for the Infrastructure Administrator and Internal IT, who lead on our cyber security and compliance activities Ensure priorities, workloads, and expectations are clear and aligned with business needs Facilitate collaboration between Infrastructure, Support, Development, and leadership to ensure smooth operations and timely resolution of infrastructure-related issues. Draw on the founder and senior technical colleagues for deep technical direction while focusing on people leadership, performance, and accountability. Encourage a proactive approach to identifying risks, improving systems, and enhancing service reliability. Requirements: Experience & Skills Proven experience in a Customer Support Manager or Senior Support Lead role within a B2B software or SaaS environment Strong track record of improving team performance, coaching others, and building positive team cultures Exceptional customer empathy and ability to translate complex technical issues into clear, human language Demonstrated ability to create structure, clarity, and accountability within a support function Strong problem-solving skills, ability to handle pressure calmly, and willingness to “lean in” to difficult challenges Experience with, and good understanding of, ITIL practices, use of support tooling (e.g., Freshdesk), and creating and using KPI reporting Attributes Genuine customer-first mindset with a drive to make dental practices’ lives easier A bias for picking up the phone to talk with customers rather than emailing / messaging Positive, proactive, and resilient leadership style—able to motivate, support, and inspire the team High levels of ownership, integrity, and follow-through; does what they say they will do Collaborative and communicative, able to work cross-functionally and influence without authority Continuous improvement mindset, always seeking to raise standards of service and team capability Working Arrangements: The position offered is based out of our Newcastle Upon Tyne office. The working hours are normally: Monday to Thursday, 09:00-17:30 with 1hr for breaks, and Friday, 08:30 – 17:00 with 1 hr for breaks. It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to accommodate changes to their working hours and also be available to work some weekends & occasional evenings as required.