All Hail the Service Manager

All Hail the Service Manager - Lessons Learned, Episode 52

Perhaps the most important person you’ll ever hire in your business is the service manager. And please note that “most important” can mean for the good or for the bad. A good service manager will make the owner’s life and business dramatically better. A bad service manager can destroy the business and make the owner’s life hell.

I don’t think any of that’s a secret. One of the most popular blog posts I’ve ever had is “SOP Friday: Service Manager Roles and Responsibilities.” 

And one of the most popular videos I’ve ever posted (50,000+ views) has the same title. Same title for the video - Service Manager Roles and Responsibilities. Clearly, that search term hits home.

But those are primarily just lists of duties. I learned the real important elements of service management after years of stubbing my toes and making mistakes. I saw horrible managers and a few good ones. The best I ever met was my brother Manuel.

When I founded my consulting company, I brought about fifteen years  of experience managing teams of 20-30 people in various jobs, culminating in management of service delivery across three states and grooming a few bright stars to become managers in their own right. I think my best performance as a service manager was as a contractor at HP. I managed a team of about twenty-five who supported software across 5,000 users and about 7,000 machines.

So when my business grew to the point that I needed someone to step up and take a layer of management off my shoulders, I was lucky to have Manuel working for me. He’s a natural leader and, to be honest, a natural team leader. So he stood out as someone who naturally took on more and more responsibility without being asked.

I have to say: This was not always my impression. It grew on me. The first few years he worked for me he was … shall we say … rough around the edges. But over time, as he elevated himself from technician to the most reliable and dependable technician I had. So as I put a good deal of attention on another company I own, Manuel was officially elevated to the role of service manager (and later would become president of the company). And I promise you, this was not nepotism. 

What makes a great service manager? Well, it’s a combination of many individual roles all bundled into one person. These include

• Leader who inspires
• Disciplinarian
• Parent figure
• Teacher
• Trainer
• Mentor
• Coach
• Customer relationship manager
• Department penny pincher
• Guide
• Counselor 
• Brand ambassador and protector
• Evangelist
• Public relations director
• Friend
• Organizer/Coordinator
• Communications director
• Coordinator of all internal (inter-departmental) communication
• Thought leader
• Executive advisor

... And more

More than anything, the service manager has to balance all these roles and make sure that each of them gets the attention it deserves. This is the greatest juggling act you’ll ever see. And if you have a great service manager, you’ll see it every day.

Note: What you don’t see on this list is Best Technician in the Company. The service manager might be that, but they absolutely do not have to be.

And yet, what do we find? Overwhelmingly, in IT and pretty much every other industry, it’s the best “guru” who gets elevated to the role of service manager. This is due in part to the fact that we put so much emphasis on technical prowess. But being the greatest technical advisor is not necessarily the best person to train new recruits, enforce guidelines around standard operating procedures, or give personal advice to an employee who is struggling with problems outside work.

Over time, the service manager will be completely trusted by the owner to make decisions without consultation and approval from above. They will also be trusted by employees and clients as the authoritative voice of the business. 

Don’t dismiss the importance of this branding and authority piece. As I've mentioned several times over the years, the best managers I had in my IT company were Manuel and Michael. Manuel moved to another coast to help a friend straighten out his business. Michael eventually bought my business. When they worked for me, they were spectacular advocates of my values, vision, and processes. In both cases, they made some big changes when they were in charge of other businesses and drove the vision.

My point is, a truly great manager will be your biggest cheerleader, even if they don’t completely buy your vision. I’ll never forget Manuel’s words when I announced a big change in the business at one point. He said, “I think this is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had, but I’m your brother and I will make it happen if you want me to.” And he did.

Obviously, this means that the service manager also has to be someone who will disagree and discuss things in detail. You can’t have someone who’s afraid of the boss or never willing to challenge decisions.

So with all that, here are the three greatest lessons I've learned about service managers:

1) They are a rare breed. Almost no one will have all the skills needed. That means you have to figure out how to find someone who can take on a very big challenge and grow into that role.

2) Do not elevate someone to service manager based on technical prowess or seniority. Your greatest technician may not have the “soft skills” or commitment to learn all the duties that are required. Because this is a rare breed, there’s an excellent chance that your first or next service manager is not on your team today. Be prepared to find someone who can grow into the role and then help them to do so.

3) Delegate real authority. Even a potentially great manager will be stymied by a boss who gives them a title but no authority. Internally and externally, the service manager has to be the unquestionable decision maker when the owner is not around (and often when he is). And, eventually, the service manager may grow to know more about the operations of the business than the owner. That takes faith and commitment.

Will they make mistakes? Yes. Will you make mistakes? Yes. But fear of mistakes should never be a deterrent. You make mistakes all the time without a service manager.

Feedback welcome.

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Episode 52

This Episode is part of the ongoing Lessons Learned series. For all the information, and an index of Lessons Learned episodes, go to the Lessons Learned Page. 

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