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Copier Careers: Average Service/Operation Manager Salary is $84,426

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Copier Careers has published its 2016 Service and Operations Manager Salary Survey, which reflects the responses of 1,864 copier-channel service and operations managers across the United States.

The firm notes that salaries for this position vary by job title, with general managers earning the highest average, and service managers earning the lowest average salary. The average salary across all job titles in 2016 is $84,426.

The firm also says that the average experience level of service and operations managers has plummeted in recent years, reaching an average of only 13 years of experience within the copier industry in 2016. Service and operations managers are said to increasingly value seeing their job help achieve company goals and the ability to work with leading-edge technology since 2002.

According to the survey, 30 percent of respondents are actively seeking a new position. while 67 percent are somewhat looking in 2016.

The majority of service and operations managers (58 percent) say they’re either satisfied or very satisfied with their level of compensation. Twenty-two percent say they’re neutral — neither satisfied nor dissatisfied— and 20 percent say they’re either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their compensation.

Although average salary is $84,426, Copier Careers notes that salaries for this position vary by job title, with general managers earning the highest average salaries ($91,480). They are followed by operations managers ($90,037), vice presidents of service ($84,519), regional service managers ($78,683), and service managers ($77,411).

In addition to cash compensation, 99 percent of respondents received health benefits this year, 99 percent received a company car or a car allowance, 55 percent were reimbursed for certifications, 39 percent received company-paid education or training, and 29 percent were reimbursed for tuition expenses. Seventy-seven percent received some form of personal performance bonus over the past year, and 69 percent participated in company profit-sharing programs.

The role of service managers has changed significantly, noted Paul Schwartz, president of Copier Careers: “In the old days, service managers were the guys who knew exactly where to kick some machine to make it work. But now the service manager or operations manager is a much more strategic and analytic role, focused on managing sophisticated workflow solutions and collaborating closely with the people responsible for sales, finance, and business strategy.”

Those surveyed work for single-location independent dealerships (16 percent), multi-location regional dealerships (37 percent), national sales and service organizations (20 percent), and OEMs (16 percent). Another 11 percent list their employers as “other,” a designation that likely includes many IT (information technology) and MNS (managed network services) providers. The size of the departments they manage varies significantly, with 21 percent managing fewer than 10 people, 23 percent managing between 11 and 20 people, 20 percent managing between 21 and 50 people, 18 percent managing between 51 and 100 people, and 18 percent managing more than 100 people.

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