Customer Relations Manager

Department: Customer Happiness

Job Overview

UNObank's goal is to help bridge the financial inclusion gap in the Philippines and eventually Southeast and South Asia. UNO, which means “one,” sets the premise for our digital bank that offers one app and one card to enable consumers anywhere in the Philippines to save, borrow, transact, invest, and protect their finances easily, with speed and ease.

UNO’s leadership team is comprised of some of the brightest and most successful people in the business. We share a passion for our mission and believe in a collaborative approach to creating the best digital bank.

The Customer Relations Manager is responsible for managing the Bank’s customer relations function, with primary accountability for customer complaint management, escalations, service recovery, customer communication, and resolution of complex customer concerns.

The role ensures that customer concerns are addressed promptly, fairly, consistently, and in accordance with the Bank’s policies, service standards, and applicable regulatory requirements. The Customer Relations Manager serves as a key customer advocate and works closely with Operations, Compliance, Fraud/Risk, Product, Technology, and other relevant teams to drive timely resolution of customer-impacting issues.

The role also provides management with insights on recurring customer concerns and operational pain points to support appropriate corrective and preventive actions.

This role reports to the Training, Quality and Customer Experience Lead.

Job Responsibilities

1. Customer Relations and Complaint Management

Lead the day-to-day management of customer complaints, escalations, and complex customer concerns received through the Bank’s customer service channels.
Ensure that customer concerns are properly acknowledged, investigated, documented, resolved, and communicated within established turnaround times and service levels.
Handle sensitive, high-impact, or executive-level customer escalations requiring management intervention.
Ensure that customer resolutions are fair, consistent, properly documented, and aligned with Bank policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
Maintain appropriate escalation protocols for complaints involving fraud, unauthorized transactions, data privacy, regulatory concerns, financial loss, or other material customer risks.

2. Service Recovery and Escalation Management

Take ownership of complex customer cases that require coordination across multiple teams or functions.
Lead service recovery efforts for customers affected by operational errors, system disruptions, delayed transactions, or other service failures.
Coordinate resolution with relevant stakeholders including Operations, Product, Technology, Compliance, Risk, Fraud, Finance, and other teams as necessary.
Ensure customers receive timely and clear updates while cases remain under investigation or resolution.
Escalate material or recurring customer issues to senior management where appropriate.

3. Customer Communication

Oversee the quality, consistency, and appropriateness of communications issued in response to customer complaints and escalations.
Ensure customer-facing responses are clear, empathetic, accurate, and appropriate to the nature and severity of the concern.
Support the preparation and review of communications relating to significant customer-impacting incidents or service disruptions.
Promote customer communication practices that balance empathy and service recovery with the Bank’s legal, compliance, operational, and risk considerations.

4. Customer Advocacy

Serve as a key advocate for customers within the Bank by ensuring significant customer concerns are appropriately represented to management and relevant business owners.
Consolidate and communicate recurring customer pain points, complaints, and areas requiring operational attention.
Provide customer insights to Product, Operations, Technology, Compliance, Risk, and other stakeholders to support improvements in processes, policies, products, and services.
Participate in discussions concerning material customer issues and provide the customer relations perspective in evaluating potential resolutions.

5. Complaint Trends and Management Reporting

Monitor customer complaints, escalations, service recovery cases, and recurring customer issues.
Prepare periodic management reports covering complaint volumes, categories, resolution turnaround times, aging cases, repeat concerns, and material customer issues.
Identify recurring operational issues and coordinate with accountable business units for investigation and corrective action.
Escalate significant trends or emerging customer risks to management.
Maintain appropriate records and documentation to support management oversight, internal reviews, audits, and regulatory requirements.

6. Regulatory and Policy Compliance

Ensure customer complaints and escalations are handled in accordance with applicable Bank policies, procedures, customer protection requirements, and regulatory standards.
Work closely with Compliance, Legal, Risk, Data Privacy, and other control functions when customer cases have regulatory, legal, privacy, fraud, or reputational implications.
Ensure complete and accurate case records are maintained within the Bank’s designated customer relationship management or complaint management systems.
Support regulatory examinations, internal audits, and other reviews relating to customer complaints and customer relations, as required.

7. Team Management and Capability Building

Lead, coach, and develop Customer Relations personnel, where applicable.
Establish clear responsibilities, escalation protocols, and case ownership standards within the Customer Relations function.
Monitor team workload, case aging, resolution performance, and adherence to service levels.
Identify capability gaps and coordinate appropriate training on complaint handling, customer communication, service recovery, Bank products, policies, and relevant regulatory requirements.
Foster a customer-focused culture grounded in accountability, empathy, sound judgment, and timely resolution.

8. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with Operations, Customer Service, Product, Technology, Compliance, Risk, Fraud, Finance, Marketing, and other functions to resolve customer-impacting issues.
Ensure appropriate business owners are identified for systemic or recurring customer issues.
Participate in incident or issue-management discussions where customer impact is significant.
Provide operational customer insights to relevant teams without assuming ownership of enterprise-wide Customer Experience or Quality Assurance functions.

Job Qualifications

Educational and Professional Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Communications, Finance, Banking, or another relevant field.
Relevant postgraduate degree, professional certification, or customer service/complaint management training is an advantage.
Must possess all qualifications and none of the disqualifications applicable to an Officer of the Bank under existing regulations and Bank policies, as applicable.

Experience

At least 5 years of relevant experience in customer service, customer relations, complaint management, banking operations, or a related function, preferably within banking, fintech, financial services, telecommunications, or another highly regulated customer-facing industry.
Preferably at least 2 years in a supervisory, team lead, or managerial capacity.
Demonstrated experience handling complex customer complaints, escalations, and service recovery.
Experience coordinating customer cases involving multiple internal stakeholders.
Working knowledge of banking products, digital financial services, payment/transaction processes, and customer servicing is strongly preferred.
Experience working within a regulated environment and handling customer issues involving compliance, fraud, risk, privacy, or operational concerns is an advantage.

Technical Competencies

Complaint and Escalation Management: Strong knowledge of structured complaint handling, investigation, escalation, resolution, documentation, and closure.
Service Recovery: Ability to assess customer-impacting incidents and determine appropriate recovery and communication approaches.
Case Management: Strong capability in monitoring cases, service levels, turnaround times, aging, ownership, and resolution.
Customer Communication: Advanced written and verbal communication skills with the ability to handle difficult and sensitive customer situations.
Problem Solving: Ability to evaluate complex customer issues, identify root operational concerns, and coordinate practical solutions across functions.
Customer Insights: Ability to analyze complaint patterns and translate recurring customer issues into actionable operational insights.
Management Reporting: Ability to prepare concise reports on complaint trends, escalations, SLA performance, customer risks, and recurring issues for senior management.
Banking and Regulatory Awareness: Working knowledge of banking operations, customer protection principles, privacy, fraud controls, operational risk, and relevant regulatory requirements.
Systems: Proficiency in CRM/case management systems, Microsoft Office applications, and reporting tools.

Behavioral Competencies

Strong customer advocacy and service orientation
Empathy combined with sound business judgment
High level of accountability and ownership
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills
Ability to remain composed in difficult or sensitive customer situations
Effective negotiation and conflict-resolution skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Analytical and solution-oriented mindset
High attention to detail
Strong integrity, discretion, and confidentiality
Ability to make sound decisions and escalate appropriately
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced digital banking environment