Escalations with Empathy

 I was one of those who benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work became a business necessity worldwide, and that gave many of us an opportunity we otherwise wouldn't have had. Photo by Kristin Wilson The world hasn't been the same since the years passed. Because of the ever-present threat of new pandemics, wars, and volatile markets that create and destroy millionaires almost daily, one question persists in the Customer Service workplace: Is it necessary for all Customer Service Agents to work remotely? In my opinion, no. Frontline Agents, by definition, must work directly with the customer. They are the ones with the necessary training to resolve most basic issues, and thanks to their direct contact with the customer, they have the ability to escalate complex or high-risk problems to the appropriate teams. What is the difference between Frontline and Secondline Customer Service? Frontline Customer Service can be seen as a conversation in a physical store, or as a grou...

 I recently saw a course on LinkedIn by Ethan Evans titled High-Velocity Decision-Making for Senior Leaders and Executives . I found it very educational, so I want to share my notes and opinions. I do not intend to make an exact summary, and I recommend watching the course if you have access to the platform and understand English, especially because I found the administrative anecdotes about Twitch very interesting. Photo by Hunters Race Why must Executives decide quickly?   An Executive cannot wait too long to decide, they would expose themselves to competitors gaining an advantage.   An Executive must prioritize speed over certainty, and take intelligent risks. If the decision is not reversible, or the cost of a bad decision is too high, it is better to wait until you have 90% of the information needed to make decisions. If the decision is reversible, or the cost of a bad decision is low, an Executive should decide when they have 70% of the information....

 I have seen Customer Service Agents, better than me, get fired. Some had accent-free English or English that sounded native. Others only received compliments and positive comments from their Customers. Photo by Alex Shute Even so, they could not keep their jobs. Why? In my opinion, for lacking resilience. What are the consequences of working in Customer Service without the necessary resilience? From the rush, only tiredness remains. Everything comes to those who know how to wait.   Unnecessary haste.   Excessive exhaustion.   Stress.   Psychosomatic illnesses .   Making basic mistakes, but with terrible, sometimes irreparable, consequences.   Saying words from which one cannot later retract.   Being scolded.   Losing a promotion.   Being fired. Being put on a blacklist and never being able to get a job in the Customer Service sector again. You must increase your resilience to succeed; having ...

Jesus said: " Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's ". I believe that phrase correctly exemplifies how we should perceive our company, and how to manage our work relationship. Photo by krakenimages A boss is not a father, nor a friend. A good company can be similar to a family, but it will never be one in a literal sense. So, why should we care about our work? Why should we be good and responsible? I came to this idea after watching " The Meteorite Manifestation ", episode 14 of season 12 of The Big Bang Theory , in which Sheldon Cooper says to an employee: "... Because, on the one hand, Confucius says we owe a greater responsibility to people we're close with rather than to society at large. But, on the other hand, Socrates says that we're obligated to obey all laws, even unjust ones. And then, furthermore, if we're entertaining rules about when it's okay to break the rules, I should-- where does it end?" ...

Practice, practice, and practice! To really be good at something, you have to make training a routine: pronunciation is one of those basic skills that is often overlooked. Photo by Cesar La Rosa Bruce Lee said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times" . Good enunciation is a small step for the Agent, but a big step for the Client. What happens when an Agent does not have clear pronunciation?   The Client may become frustrated and feel that the Agent does not know what they are talking about, or that they are being mocked. Lack of credibility and communication problems with colleagues, bosses, and stakeholders.   Poor enunciation can be the reason for your low performance at work, and you may not have noticed it. I suggest a quick exercise to determine if you have a pronunciation problem, or at least need to improve a bit.   Record yourself reciting the following phrase out loud: "...

Time is one of the most valuable resources we have. Because of its scarcity, it is probably the most valuable of all. For this reason, knowing how to invest our time is essential. Photo by Charanjeet Dhiman Based on my experience, I believe that the best use of time is studying and learning a second language . It is a useful life skill and can open many doors if you work in the Customer Service field . What are the consequences of not learning a second language? Losing job opportunities, promotions, or the chance to relocate to other countries. Learning a language means understanding the culture and characteristics of a population. Not understanding the needs and expectations of customers can lead to unnecessary escalations and damage the image of the company we represent. Your goal as a Customer Service Agent is to make the customer feel that their problem has been clearly expressed and that you will make your best effort to resolve their concern. Many of my contacts have start...