Customer Service Manager

Sudale Search & Select; Twickenham; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Holly & Co in Twickenham is seeking a standout Customer Service Manager to lead the team, scale the operation, and drive best-in-class service during peak trading and beyond.

Reporting to the MD, you will own strategy, platform, and people, recruit and train seasonal staff, maintain a 24-hour first-reply SLA, and work with Dixa to optimise routing, automation, and CSAT across email and live chat.

Qualifications

• Experience leading customer service in ecommerce/marketplace environments.
• Ability to hire, onboard and train seasonal staff for peak trading periods.
• A track record of setting KPIs, coaching teams, and driving CSAT improvements.

Responsibilities

• Own CS strategy, platform, and people; shape long-term growth plan.
• Recruit, onboard and train seasonal staff to scale for peak periods.
• Maintain 24-hour first-reply SLA and high resolution rates across channels.

Skills

E-commerce leadership

Dixa experience

People management

Data-driven problem solving

Tools

Dixa

Zendesk

Gorgias

Job description

Do you want to join a female-founded brand that genuinely cares about people and making a positive impact on the world?

Founded by Holly Tucker, Holly & Co is an entrepreneurial, B-Corp certified marketplace built on deep-rooted values and creative spirit. Partnering with around 1,000 independent makers and small businesses (our ‘Co’s’) showcasing a wide range of high end products, customer experience genuinely matters here. It is not just a metric we track; it is central to how we build trust with our community and champion independent retail.

Now, heading into our third and biggest Christmas trading period yet, with ambitious plans to double growth in 2027, we are looking for a standout Customer Service Manager to lead our team, scale the operation, and build a truly best-in-class service.

Customer Service is an essential part of our growth story. This is a business where you will never have to sell the value of CS, we actively crave the smart frontline intel you uncover to drive improvements across the entire customer journey.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you will take full ownership of the strategy, the platform, and the people behind our day-to-day service.

Right now, you will inherit a dedicated permanent team, with the autonomy to recruit, onboard, and train seasonal hires to scale smartly for Q4 peak trading. The immediate priority is leading the charge through the busy Christmas period across email and live chat via Dixa. You will stay close to the work, jump in when it is all hands-on deck, and hold the team to high standards, including a 24-hour first-reply SLA, swift resolution rates, and strong CSAT.

Beyond peak, 2027 is the year of transformation. Service cannot scale purely by adding headcount. Backed by senior leadership, you will look at the whole picture: process, tooling, automations, and mediating relationships between customers and our independent Co’s to eliminate root causes of inbound contact before they start.

Why This Is a Rare Build

• Ground-floor impact – We are just three years into the marketplace journey. You have a rare opportunity to rebuild customer service from its infancy and design what it becomes as we scale in line with the companies ambitious growth plans!
• Direct access and real investment – Working closely with the Founder, Managing Director, and senior leadership team, decisions happen fast. You will have genuine autonomy, zero red tape, and the backing to build things properly.
• Proper support, not sink-or-swim – You will have the support of an experienced CS consultant, already embedded with us to help think through data architecture, tooling, and structure.
• Mission with teeth – A certified B Corp committed to an inclusive, thriving environment, backing thousands of small creative businesses (around 90% female-led) with meaningful, long-term income.
• Hybrid collaboration – Two days a week in our vibrant Twickenham office, with three days flexible working from home. We are a close-knit, low-ego team that genuinely loves spending time together.

The Package

• Salary: £40,000 to £50,000 (commensurate with experience)
• Contract: Full-time, permanent
• Location: Twickenham (Hybrid, 2 days in office)
• Start Date: As soon as possible, early availability ahead of Q4 is a genuine advantage

What We Are Looking For

We are not looking for a detached strategist who wants to sit miles away from the frontline, nor a supervisor purely focused on rota admin. We want someone right in the sweet spot:

• E-commerce or marketplace leadership – You have proven experience managing a customer service team in an e-commerce or marketplace setting, navigating the operational pressure of peak trading periods (including hiring of seasonal support)
• Dixa expertise – Hands-on experience with Dixa (or equivalent platforms like Zendesk or Gorgias). You know how to configure routing, reporting, and automations to get the very best out of the platform.
• People-first, accountable management – You know how to motivate, coach, and keep spirits high through high-volume trading, while remaining confident in setting clear KPIs, tracking performance, and having honest conversations.
• Root-cause problem solver – You are calm under pressure, naturally curious, and comfortable using data to diagnose issues and fix friction points rather than simply reporting on what has already happened.
• Thrives in high-growth environments – You enjoy an entrepreneurial culture where not everything is finished yet, and you love the idea of shaping an operation that scales 5x to 10x.