Vice President of Client Services

About Us

We are a mid-sized travel technology company with a small but mighty group of employees, serving membership groups, associations, and travel agencies with innovative B2B and B2B2C solutions. Our platform powers travel programs for small to mid-sized organizations. We're committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences while continuously modernizing our service delivery through technology and innovation.

Position Overview

The Vice President of Client Services is a strategic leadership role reporting directly to the CEO. This executive will oversee a team responsible for driving client satisfaction, retention, and growth across our travel agency and association partner base. This role combines strategic customer success leadership with operational excellence in support delivery, while spearheading our transformation from traditional phone / email support to modern, efficient, AI-powered service channels.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

Lead and develop the Customer Success and Support organizations, including internal teams and outsourced support partner relationships.

Build scalable processes and infrastructure to support company growth while improving service quality.

Establish department goals, KPIs, and performance metrics aligned with company revenue and retention objectives.

Manage vendor relationships with outsourced support providers, ensuring quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Create a culture of client advocacy, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

Collaborate with the CEO and executive leadership to shape company strategy based on customer insights.

Oversee budget planning and resource allocation across Customer Success and Support functions.

Client Success & Account Management

Oversee the complete customer lifecycle from onboarding through renewal and expansion for our customer accounts.

Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key stakeholders at travel agency partners and association clients.

Drive retention strategies and reduce churn through proactive engagement, value delivery, and business reviews.

Identify and execute expansion opportunities to increase product adoption and account value.

Serve as executive sponsor for strategic accounts and escalated client issues.

Ensure smooth onboarding experiences and time-to-value for new clients.

Create executive business review (EBR) processes and governance models for key accounts.

Customer Support & Call Center Operations Transformation

Lead the strategic transformation of support delivery from phone / email-centric to technology-enabled, efficient channels.

Oversee day-to-day operations of internal support team and a 60-person outsourced support agent network.

Optimize Zendesk implementation and explore integrations with other platforms such as Salesforce.

Drive support efficiency through process optimization, workforce management, self-service enablement, and quality assurance.

Establish and monitor critical support metrics including response times, resolution rates, CSAT scores, first-call resolution, and cost-per-contact.

Manage outsourced vendor performance, SLAs, and contract renewals.

Implement best practices for ticket management, call routing, knowledge base development, and agent training.

Conduct comprehensive root cause analysis on recurring support issues, customer pain points, and high-volume ticket categories.

Partner closely with Product and Engineering teams to prioritize and resolve systemic issues that drive support volume.

Create feedback loops to ensure customer insights inform product development and improvement.

Innovation & Support Modernization

Develop and execute a multi-phase roadmap to modernize support delivery :

Phase 1 : Reduce phone support volume through improved self-service and proactive communication.

Phase 2 : Implement AI-powered chat functionality to handle common inquiries and supplement phone support.

Phase 3 : Eliminate email support through automation, chatbots, and enhanced digital channels.

Lead evaluation, vendor selection, and implementation of AI chat and automation tools.

Build comprehensive self-service knowledge bases and help center resources.

Identify opportunities to leverage technology for deflection, automation, and improved customer experiences.

Stay current on industry trends in customer success technology, support automation, and AI applications.

Measure ROI on technology investments and continuously optimize the support tech stack.

Functional Collaboration

Serve as the voice of the customer to the CEO and executive team, translating customer feedback into strategic recommendations.

Partner closely with Product and Engineering to communicate customer needs, influence product roadmap, and prioritize development efforts.

Collaborate with Sales to ensure smooth handoffs, set appropriate customer expectations, and identify expansion opportunities.

Work with Marketing to develop customer advocacy programs, case studies, reference customers, and retention campaigns.

Coordinate with technical teams on complex implementations and integrations for travel agency and association clients.

Participate in vendor negotiations and contract discussions for support technology and outsourced services.

Performance Tracking & Reporting

Establish comprehensive dashboards tracking customer health scores, satisfaction metrics, and financial performance.

Monitor and report on key metrics such as :

Customer Success : NPS, CSAT, churn rate, retention rate, Net Revenue Retention (NRR), expansion revenue.

Support Operations : Ticket volume, average handle time, first-call resolution, cost-per-contact, channel mix.

Team Performance : Agent productivity, quality scores, customer satisfaction by agent / team.

Present regular updates to the CEO and executive team on department performance, trends, and strategic initiatives.

Use data-driven insights to identify opportunities for improvement and make recommendations for resource allocation.

Create executive reporting that ties customer success metrics to business outcomes.

Qualifications

Required Experience

10+ years of progressive experience in Customer Success, Account Management, or Client Services roles within B2B or B2B2C technology companies.

5+ years in a senior leadership position (Director, Senior Director, or VP level) managing both Customer Success and Support / Call Center operations.

Travel industry experience required – deep understanding of travel agency operations, distribution systems, booking workflows, or travel technology platforms.

Proven experience managing outsourced support teams or BPO vendor relationships.

Demonstrated success building and scaling customer success organizations in high-growth environments.

Experience leading support transformation initiatives, including channel migration and technology implementation.

Track record managing accounts with contract values of $50K‑$500K annually.

Experience leading teams of 50+ people, including remote or distributed teams.

Preferred Experience

Prior experience working with or for AAA, travel agencies, travel consortia, or membership-based travel programs.

Background as a travel agent or managing travel agent teams.

Experience implementing AI chat, chatbot, or support automation solutions.

Familiarity with Zendesk and Salesforce platforms.

Experience in the associations or membership organization space.

Technical & Functional Skills

Deep understanding of SaaS business models, customer lifecycle management, and retention economics.

Proven ability to drive operational efficiency and cost optimization in support operations.

Experience implementing and optimizing customer support technology (helpdesk platforms, call center software, CRM systems).

Knowledge of AI, chatbot platforms, and automation tools for customer support (e.g., Intercom, Zendesk AI, Ada, Ultimate.ai).

Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into action.

Technical aptitude to understand travel-specific software products and communicate effectively with technical teams.

Understanding of travel industry systems (GDS, booking engines, payment processing) is highly valued.

Experience with vendor management, SLA development, and contract negotiations.

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

Exceptional communication and presentation skills with ability to engage effectively from frontline agents to C-suite executives.

Strategic thinker with strong business acumen who can balance customer needs, operational efficiency, and business growth.

Proven ability to influence cross-functionally and drive organizational change without direct authority.

Strong coaching, mentoring, and team development capabilities with track record of building high-performing teams.

Change management expertise to lead support transformation initiatives.

Customer-centric mindset with passion for delivering exceptional experiences.

Comfortable managing in a matrixed environment with both internal teams and outsourced partners.

Creative problem-solver who thrives on tackling complex operational and strategic challenges.

Collaborative team player who builds strong relationships across the organization.

Balance of strategic vision with hands‑on operational execution.

Comfortable with approximately 25% travel for client visits, team offsites, vendor meetings, and industry events.

Location & Work Environment

Remote position with flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States.

Optional office access available in Atlanta, GA for those in the area.

Expect ~25% travel including client visits, team offsites, vendor meetings, and industry conferences.

Must be available for occasional urgent client escalations outside standard business hours and be responsible for developing holiday coverage schedules.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including base salary, performance bonus, equity, comprehensive benefits, and travel expense reimbursement.

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