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 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 ...

Life is, by definition, unfair. We can't always get what we want. And sometimes it's not possible to help others, no matter how willing we are to do so. Photo by Icons8 Team. What kind of impossible situations exist?   When company policies do not allow granting a request (refunds past the deadline, escalation to a team higher than the standard escalation team, etc.). The Customer does not accept the available concessions or solutions. The Customer asks for something unreasonable, like in episode 14 of season four of The Office , when Michael Scott makes a call hoping a woman interested in him will answer, but he gets: "No sir, this is a Wendy's restaurant " .  I could go on with a thousand more examples, and there would still be unexpected scenarios. Whether due to bad luck, process errors, or previous miscommunication, sometimes it is not possible to satisfy the Customer.   In these cases, as a Customer Service Agent , your priority is to avoid making th...