If you work with customers, you know this: excellent interactions create a ripple effect in the world. They have the power to change lives. You just might not see it every day.
In a call center, there's a rhythm to taking call after call, many of them similar. Sometimes it feels like customers are interchangeable, a stream of disembodied voices asking for help.
It’s also easy to feel like a cog in the machine, interchangeable with other reps. You do your best to provide excellent experiences. Even on the difficult days. And you believe that your colleagues and your friends are doing the same.
In reality, it's our personalities - our unique blend of positive words and habits that make customers feel heard. That they are special. Our personalities, added to well-developed customer service skills, leaves a lasting impression.
Here's a somewhat enlightening experience from my own history.
In my role, I spoke with older customers. Customers who experienced the loss of a loved one or who were thinking through the impact of their own eventual death. It required a lot of empathy on my part, and I felt I was doing good work. I received those calls often. Customers sometimes blurred together.
One day I received a call from a man who tried for over an hour to find me. Unfortunately, the organization’s business model made that difficult. He kept at it and finally another rep contacted me. Luckily, I was available. The other rep provided the man's account information.
Confession time: I was slightly irritated. (Mostly because I didn’t recognize the customer or his situation.) I felt he could have spoken to anyone – I was a cog, after all!
Fortunately, I didn’t expose my irritation when I greeted the man cheerfully. He then shared the reason for going to the effort of finding me.
He explained that he had talked to me a couple months prior, and I helped him after his wife passed away. Then he said:
“You were so helpful and kind after my wife died. And I wanted to tell you that a week after we spoke, my daughter was killed in a car accident.” He then went on to tell me a little about her.
It brings me to tears to think about it, even years later. Here was a man, so full of grief. Calling a sympathetic ear to help him through it. This man, my customer, felt so connected to both my organization and to me that he shared his personal tragedy.
It’s humbling to learn that we have that kind of impact. That we can (and do) build powerful connections.
Cogs? I think not.
It’s the best reason to build and practice great interaction skills. You might not always know the positive impact you have, but it’s out there!
We sometimes underestimate our power to help people. And then we get reminders.
Build and practice your skills. And use your power for good.
Looking for helpful information and practical tips? Contact me for help with your customer service interaction training!
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