Is Your Service Manager Satisfied with Their Compensation?

The latest salary survey from Copier Careers answers that question.

Service managers are mostly satisfied with their compensation but less satisfied with their jobs, according to the 2019 Service and Operations Manager Salary Survey from Copier Careers, a recruiting firm focused exclusively on the copier channel.

More than half, 56%, reported they are “satisfied” with their overall compensation. The survey also found a modest increase in base salary for service and operations managers, with total compensation increased to just under $119,000, on average. Nearly 90% of respondents reported they receive bonuses for personal performance and earn stock options.

Copier Careers surmises the lack of overall job satisfaction is likely the result of the scarcity of qualified service techs. On average, service and ops managers work 68 hours per week, partly because of the need to recruit and train techs. Despite expressing some frustrations with their work, service and ops managers are engaged in their jobs: 100% of respondents continue to say they want to work with leading-edge technology, and 99% want to be involved in company strategy and setting goals.

Responses to this year’s survey indicate that service and operations managers remain deeply committed and engaged in their work, but they are also showing signs of stress. Chief among their stressors is the lack of qualified service techs, which can affect the quality of service and ultimately their company’s bottom line. This could explain why:

• 99% of respondents say they want “the tools and support to do my job well,” an increase of 10%

• 98% say the “effectiveness of their immediate supervisor” is a concern, up 8% from 2018 and up 27% since 2017

• 88% want “effective career path planning and support,” an increase of 21% from 2018

With the current U.S. unemployment rate at 3.7%, many employers are having trouble filling positions, including the copier channel, which is struggling to fill positions for qualified service techs, in a job category where Copier Careers says demand has outstripped supply for years.

“We have always dwelt in this zero-unemployment environment in our industry,” says Paul Schwartz, president of Copier Careers. “There is always stress and pressure on these service managers to find, train and retain a top-notch service team. This tight labor market has made that task more difficult.”

Additional survey highlights include:

• The average annual salary across all job titles for service and operations managers increased by 3.2% to $88,794. That is roughly $12,000 above the national average base pay for service and ops managers, as compiled by Glassdoor, an online service that gathers job data and listings for business and industry.
• Non-cash bonuses for health benefits, a company car, training, etc., increased only 0.5% to a value of $29,895 (+$140), bringing average annual compensation across all service and operations manager job titles “” including non-cash perks “” to $118,689, an increase of 2.5%.
• Satisfaction with overall compensation remained about the same, with 56% of respondents indicating they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with theirs; 22% are neutral on compensation, and 21% say they are “dissatisfied.”
• When asked about overall job satisfaction, 45% of service and ops managers say they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied,” 26% are neutral on overall job satisfaction and 29% say they are “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their job.
• Service and operations managers identified the same top non-cash/indirect cash rewards as in the 2018 survey, including 99% who said they receive health benefits and have a company car or car allowance. In 2019, 81%percent of respondents say they have a company-paid phone, and 81% percent are reimbursed for certification and/or further education and training.

Click here to access the complete survey, including the seven factors that are most important to sales managers and operations managers about their jobs, as well as for additional analysis from Copier Career executives.  

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