Position Summary
The Manager, Client Communications, owns Accordia Bank's centralized digital client communication channels, beginning with the Bank's live chat channel and customer care email inbox. This role is accountable for ensuring that every incoming client communication is acknowledged quickly, routed to the correct department or specialist, tracked through resolution, and closed out with the client. The Manager builds and maintains the tools, workflows, and standards - including a ticketing system and AI-assisted response capabilities - that make fast, consistent, and personal service possible across business hours and beyond.
This position is the foundation of Accordia Bank's client communications function. Over time, the role is expected to expand to include ownership of the Bank's primary incoming phone line, growing into a small, dedicated team without adopting the structure or feel of a traditional call center. The Manager is a key partner to branch and department leaders in preserving Accordia Bank's community banking culture as client communication channels are centralized and modernized.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary owner of the Bank's live chat channel and the customercare email inbox, ensuring every inquiry is acknowledged promptly and handled to completion.
- Triage incoming chat and email communications, resolving routine account and service questions directly and routing specialized or complex inquiries to the appropriate department, team, or branch.
- Use a ticketing system to log, track, and follow up on every client's communication, ensuring nothing is left unresolved and that clients receive timely closure on their requests.
- Establish and monitor response-time standards, escalation paths, and quality expectations for written and chat-based client communications.
- Evaluate, implement, and continuously refine AI-assisted response tools to support faster initial responses - including during off-hours - while preserving Accordia Bank's personal, community-bank tone.
- Partner with branch personnel and subject-matter experts across departments to ensure accurate, timely resolution of routed inquiries and a smooth handoff experience for the client.
- Track volume, response times, resolution trends, and recurring client themes; report metrics and insights to the Director of Retail Operations and the SVP, Deposit Strategy and Client Experience.
- Partner with Retail Banking and Client Experience leadership to plan and stand-up ownership of the Bank's primary incoming phone number, and help design a lean, scalable staffing model as the channel grows.
- Recruit, train, and manage staff as the function scales, coordinating dotted-line support from branch and departmental resources in the interim.
- Identify potential fraud, loss, and reputation risks in client communications, and ensure all interactions comply with Regulation E, UDAAP, BSA/AML, and other applicable requirements and Bank policies.
- Serve as the internal subject-matter expert on the Bank's chat and email servicing platform(s), driving ongoing process and tooling improvements.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree is preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 5+ years of experience in banking or financial services, customer service, client experience, or contact-center operations, including at least 2 years in a supervisory or team-lead capacity.
- Demonstrated experience triaging and resolving customer inquiries across multiple channels (chat, email, phone) with strong first-contact resolution.
- Experience with ticketing, CRM, or case-management systems used to track communications through resolution.
- Strong working knowledge of retail banking products, account servicing, and applicable regulations, including Regulation E, Regulation CC, UDAAP, and BSA/AML.
- Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to set tone and standards for client-facing messaging.
- Proven ability to build workflows, standards, and processes in a new or evolving function, and to lead a team through growth and change.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building or scaling a chat- or email-based client service channel within a bank or credit union.
- Experience with HubSpot or a similar chat/CRM platform.
- Familiarity with contact-center technology, staffing models, and performance metrics.
- Experience in evaluating or implementing AI-assisted customer service tools.
- Bilingual skills preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Solid understanding of retail banking operations, account servicing, and client relationship management.
- Sound judgment in balancing speed of response with accuracy, compliance, and the Bank's community-focused service style.
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage a high volume of incoming communications across channels.
- Effective leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to build and develop a team over time.
- Comfortable operating with a degree of ambiguity as the role and function evolve.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, partnering effectively with branch and department leaders.
- Discretion in handling confidential customer and operational information.