Customer Service Manager - VolCard - UTK

Customer Service Manager

The Customer Service Manager is responsible for overseeing customer-facing operations and administrative functions related to university identification credentials, VolCard, for the entire campus and campus vending services. This position is also responsible foraccounting functions related to Vol Dining, Vending, and Off-Campus Merchants Program. This position manages a front-office team who serve as the primary point of contact for students, faculty, staff, and visitors, ensuring high-quality customer service, operational efficiency, and fiscal accountability. This role has a strong focus on revenue stewardship, promotion of programs, and continuous improvement of services.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, train, schedule, and evaluate front-office staff.
• Ensure consistent, professional, and responsive service to students, faculty, staff, parents, and external partners.
• Establish customer service best practices and procedures.
• Address and resolve customer concerns, complaints and escalated issues in a timely and effective manner.
• Work closely with New Student Orientation to assist with the new student experience.
• KPI reporting based on Vending data analytics.
• Develop and implement promotional strategies for vending services and off-campus merchants program.
• Monitor vending and off-campus merchant revenue, commissions, and expenses. Maintain vendor relationships.
• Define and achieve financial targets of Campus Vending. Identify ways to expand vending across campus. Use data analytics to evaluate locations and products. Redistribute machines and recommend strategies to maximize revenue. Recommend products and document/analyze issues based on analytics and customer feedback. Ensure staff perform vending checks and machines are in prime operating condition.
• Oversee accounting functions related to the Vol Dining program, including reconciliation, reporting, and internal controls including reconciliation of data between CS Gold, Banner, DASH, and Meal Plan Manager. Ensure daily reconciliation.
• Review all ledgers for accuracy before advancing them to the Associate Vice Chancellor and Vol Dining Director for the Aramark Contract.
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning.
• Ensure adherence to university financial policies, procedures, and audit requirements. Allocate resources and procurement planning to ensure the fiscal stability of the organization.
• Collaborate annually with Controller's Office on PCI compliance.
• Design functional specifications of needed VolCard Office software upgrades and enhancements for development by VolCard IT staff. Coordinate all new card designs with requesting departments and approve final card designs.
• Author and award various RFP and RFQ documents as needed for VolCard Office and Campus Vending. Create and monitor contracts for pricing, including supplies and equipment necessary for credential production. Monitor inventory, including audit controls.
• Collaborate with VolCard Technology Manager to create new CS Gold Location Groups, new customized dining plans as requested by Vol Dining, and new departmental user groups within CS Gold for the VolCard Office.
• Attend Departmental meetings in Director of Operational Services absences.
• Attend training and conferences necessary for optimization of position.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in business
• Experience: 5 years of experience as a supervisor with a strong computer and accounting background.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
• • The Manager Position must have extensive knowledge in accounting.
  • The skill and ability to use Excel to create and manage ledgers for daily/monthly reconciliations.
  • Microsoft Access and/or SQL knowledge is necessary to compare and locate issues with reconciliations.
  • Commitment to exceptional customer service and student support.
  • Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Management with a strong Accounting Background.
• Experience - 5 years of experience as a supervisor in a Campus environment with a strong computer and accounting background. Familiarity with Banner and Credential software.
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
• • Preferred knowledge of key performance indicators (KPIs) and how to create and manage them.
  • Ability to use Power BI and manage reporting tools.
  • SQL knowledge for navigating CS Gold.
  • Skill to manage multiple tasks at any given time.

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Fully Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR13
• Anticipated hiring range: $85,000-$92,000
• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions For best consideration

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments.

• Resume
• Cover Letter

About The College/Department/Division The VolCard serves as the passport to campus. A campus identification and access credential for students, staff, and faculty, the VolCard is accessible via mobile devices. The VolCard grants entry to housing facilities, dining services, academic buildings, campus events such as graduation, and includes a declining balance account that can be used at vending machines, on-campus meal locations and POD stores, off-campus merchants including grocery stores, and at VolShop locations. The VolCard Office oversees the issuance and management of the credential, ensuring smooth and reliable service. Additionally, the office is responsible for managing vending services across campus.

About Us

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university's tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service. UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee's flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy's largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service. UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone. The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as "Best Employer for New Graduates," "One of America's Best Large Employers," and "Best Workplace for Women," and has been designated as "Best Place for Working Parents" by Forbes Magazine. Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!