Escalations with Empathy

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: "...

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...

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...