Joshua Curtis

Take us back to the beginning. How did your career start?

I’m currently the Contact Centre Manager at Super Retail Group, which is the proud owner of four iconic retail brands (Supercheap Auto, rebel, BCF, and Macpac). I manage our customer contact centres across Brisbane, Melbourne, and New Zealand, so about 100 team members in total. My journey in customer experience actually started at The Coffee Club many years ago. I’ve always been open to new opportunities, so after dipping my toes in the customer service industry at The Coffee Club I started to look for another role on Brisbane’s southside, where I lived at the time. A job came up at RACQ in their contact centre, so I thought I’d give it a go. Little did I know that this experience would spark my love for the contact centre environment. I became more curious about all the moving parts involved, from how they functioned to how to lead a team. Showing that initiative and drive really helped me fast-track my career at RACQ, where I was quickly promoted to Team Leader. I loved the people aspect of the job and really enjoyed training, coaching, and providing feedback to my team.

I progressed at RACQ into a different branch of the business as a manager for the Night Support Team. It was a varied role in a higher-pressure environment, which was a challenging but rewarding experience. I had shown an aptitude for improving team efficiencies and processes in the Night Support Team and was asked to do the same for the Dispatch team as a Field Support Manager. That was my first real step forward into a fullyfledged management role.

From here Allianz Partners asked me to lead their Roadside Assist business as a Senior Team Leader, with a remit to move into an Operations Manager role. It was a role where I could bring my passion for contact centres to life and transform that aspect of their business. I implemented a few key processes and procedures in this team before moving into the Operations Manager role for an automotive customer care team – then COVID hit. I went from managing one line of the automotive business to four during COVID – it was a crazy time.

A friend who worked at Super Retail Group knew my career background well and they asked if I was interested in running and improving their Customer Care team. I said yes and I’ve now been here for a year and a half, improving and implementing new processes in the Contact Centre to drive some really great results.

I love working in contact centres. I’ve worked in a few companies now and all of them have a community and family feel unique to the contact centre environment. There is so much you can leverage to improve customer experience as well, and it’s so people-driven.

Contact Centre Manager Super Retail Group

What is something that would surprise people about your industry?

I think it’s the sheer amount of work that you do in the background that really surprises people. When I was running four lines, I was changing hats every day depending on the priority at the time. Also, the shift in perception around contact centres is so different now. We’re a highly valued intelligence hub for businesses and can provide crucial data on customer insights and experience. It’s a good feeling for the team, knowing how important they are to overall business success.

What is one piece of advice for anyone wanting to enter your profession?

A lot of people expect opportunities to present themselves, but instead, you can show interest and openly talk about your goals with your leaders and next-in-line.

Also, treat job interviews as an experience to understand a role in greater detail. Maybe you won’t score your dream role straight away, but the next time you have an interview opportunity, you’ll be prepared and confident.