Customer Service Manager
Who we are
Yoco was founded in 2015, and we’ve been breaking down barriers, unlocking economic opportunities and opening commerce for people to thrive ever since.
We’re the payments provider for over 200,000 self-employed, and process over US$3 billion annually.
We have ±350 team members globally, all with a bias for boldness and a passion for simple, progressive solutions. We believe in uniting different people to solve hard problems, together.
Our mission of making society more equal requires a variety of people, with different backgrounds and points of view, to keep building solutions that make life easier for emerging businesses.
We’re growing fast. With growth comes compelling challenges. If you’re an ambitious problem-solver, with big ideas, a passion for doing good, bright, grounded and courageous; you’re likely to thrive at Yoco.
We don’t stop pushing. We break things to rebuild. We challenge ourselves and each other. We’re constantly evolving - and we’re doing it fast.
Grow With Us.
About the role
As the Customer Service Manager, you will play a pivotal role in leading our team through an exciting and strategic evolution. Historically focused on delivering exceptional customer service excellence, your primary mission will be to spearhead the transformation of our team into a proactive Merchant Success Centre. This involves moving beyond reactive problem-solving to proactively engaging with our merchants, understanding their business goals, and providing strategic support that drives their growth and maximises their long-term value through the Merchant Success Centre.
This role will require you to collaborate with the Head of Customer Support: defining, implementing, and optimising strategies that not only resolve issues efficiently but actively contribute to merchant retention, engagement, and the overall success of their ventures on our platform. This leadership role demands a strategic operator who can inspire and empower a team to become trusted advisors, ensuring our merchants thrive.
What you will be doing
1. Strategy & Merchant Success Transformation:
Formulate and implement comprehensive Merchant Success strategies that drive retention, growth, and satisfaction through proactive engagement models and value realisation frameworks.
Foster a culture that prioritises long-term merchant partnerships over transactional support, ensuring seamless transition from reactive support to proactive partnership.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Product, Marketing, and Tech teams to ensure a unified approach to merchant satisfaction and success.
2. Team Leadership & Development:
Recruit, onboard, mentor, and develop a high-performing team capable of acting as trusted advisors and proactive success enablers.
Provide regular coaching and performance feedback, empowering team members to master both traditional service excellence and advanced merchant success methodologies.
Partner with the Enablement team to design targeted learning experiences and create career development pathways that support ongoing skill development and staff retention.
3. Operations & Process Management:
Oversee daily operations of the Merchant Success Centre, ensuring efficient workflows and timely resolution of merchant inquiries.
Develop and implement scalable processes, tools, and best practices that enhance the merchant experience and improve team productivity.
Act as escalation point for critical merchant issues, ensuring swift resolution whilst maintaining focus on long-term merchant health.
4. Performance Analysis & Reporting:
Monitor comprehensive KPIs including traditional metrics (AHT, FRT, CSAT, NPS, SLAs, QA) and strategic Merchant Success metrics (retention rate, churn rate, activation rates, feature adoption, LTV, expansion revenue).
Utilise advanced data analytics to identify trends, patterns, and root causes impacting merchant health and growth, using insights to formulate targeted success initiatives.
Prepare detailed reports on operational performance and merchant success strategy effectiveness, presenting findings to senior management with actionable recommendations for continuous improvement.
Establish clear, achievable goals and benchmarks for all KPIs based on historical data, industry best practices, and organisational objectives.
Gather merchant feedback to inform product development, marketing initiatives, and overall business strategy, acting as the voice of the merchant within the organisation.
About you
Minimum 10 years managing customer support teams in contact centre environments with a proven track record in high-pressure situations
Demonstrated experience in strategic transformation projects and cross-functional collaboration (minimum 2 years)
Experience working within fast-growing companies and scaling operations
Previous exposure to merchant success, customer success, or account management methodologies preferred
Strong mentoring and coaching abilities with track record of developing high-performing team leaders who can manage strong team
Understanding of merchant/customer lifecycle management and value realisation frameworks
Experience gathering customer feedback and translating insights into business strategy
Ability to balance operational excellence with strategic merchant success initiatives
Results-oriented focus on improving both customer outcomes and business performance
Proficiency in performance metrics including traditional customer service KPIs (CSAT, AHT, FRT, SLAs, QA) and merchant success metrics (retention, churn, LTV, activation rates)
Advanced Excel/Google Sheets skills for numerical analysis and reporting
Experience with contact centre management tools and CRM systems (e.g., Zendesk)
Ability to establish KPI benchmarks and track performance against strategic objectives
This role requires you to be on-site working alongside Customer Support agents
Experience with and exposure to AI tools and platforms
The people we’re looking for
We’re looking for people who want to grow and have a thirst for learning. And as Yoco grows, we hope they stay with us for the long-term.
Building solutions for a more equal society is a daunting task - and it’s not for everyone. We never stop pushing, we break things to rebuild, and we challenge ourselves and our teammates. We start over, we constantly evolve - and we do it fast. We know that it’s just the right kind of meaningful madness for our kind of visionary human.
So, who are you? You’re someone who resonates with our mission and our values, and you’re relentlessly effective in your execution.
You’re a curious problem-solver with a passion for doing good. You’re bright, grounded, experimental and bold. You play open cards and get stuck in. You’re not afraid of change. You close the loop.
At Yoco, we laugh, embrace each other’s quirks, and support one another’s growth, all while staying authentic.
If this sounds like your kind of challenge, apply below and come grow with us.
We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply and ask that you please send your application in English and help us reduce unconscious bias by leaving out your picture, age, address, and other unnecessary information in your CV.
- Department
- Customer Operations
- Role
- Customer Support
- Locations
- Cape Town (South Africa)
- Employment type
- Full-time
A partnership for your wellbeing
We believe that the best work comes from a place of balance and security. We see our benefits not as perks, but as a partnership to support your life, your family, and your ambitions.
- Need time to switch off? We offer 24 paid leave days annually, plus public holidays, so you can rest, travel, or simply handle life.
- Thinking about long-term security? We'll help you build a strong foundation with contributions to medical aid and gap cover.
- Putting your family first? So do we. We provide paid parental leave for mothers, fathers, and adoptive parents, along with family responsibility leave for unexpected emergencies.
- Ready to grow your skills? We provide an annual learning budget for you to invest in the courses, conferences, or training that will help you advance your career.
- Looking for your community? Find it here. From weekly company gatherings and team outings to employee-led clubs, we foster a connected culture where everyone belongs.
We're growing
Yoco is growing, and as we grow we have compelling challenges ahead of us.
Growing means we’re enabling more self-employed people and businesses to thrive every day. It also means that ambitious problem-solvers with big ideas are challenged, stimulated and will thrive at Yoco.
Grow with us.
About Yoco
Yoco is the all-in-one digital commerce platform for small businesses.
As one of Africa’s largest fintech companies, we make it easy to sell anywhere, manage your business from anywhere, and grow with smart insights—all under one Yoco profile.
Founded in 2015, we've helped over 200,000 small businesses across South Africa accept card payments and access capital—often for the first time.
Our ecosystem of payments, software, and tools works seamlessly under one Yoco account. Behind it all is a global team of 350+ people across South Africa and the Netherlands, building world-class solutions for small business growth.
Already working at Yoco?
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