When people think of innovation, few place the customer service industry in that bracket. In reality, it is one of the frontrunners in technological advancement. A prime example is the practice of routing calls based on a caller’s psychographic attributes. As far as we know, the finance industry is not using behavioral psychology within its department!
If you elect to work within the customer service industry, there is plenty of scope for career progression, and you‘ll have your pick of industries. Regardless of your role and where you work, however, the goal is always to ensure customer satisfaction and improve it whenever possible. If you’re interested in the field of customer service, read on to discover how to progress in your career with helpful tips on creating tailored CVs and acing the interview.
Customer Service Positions
Customer Advisor
This is an entry-level role and is best suited to a genuinely warm and friendly individual. You are charged with helping customers in need of assistance. This could mean anything from pointing them in the right direction to find goods to resolving their issues.
Customer Service Assistant
This is similar to a customer advisor insofar as you are tasked with ensuring customers leave the premises with a smile on their face. The job involves a lot of interaction with the general public either face-to-face, over the phone or via email. Your daily routine depends on where you work but could include stacking shelves, arranging displays or handling payments.
Customer Services Supervisor
If you have been working in the industry for a while and fancy a bigger challenge, the role of a supervisor could be right up your alley. The job involves taking charge of a team of staff and ensuring they treat customers properly, turn up on time and are performing to expectations. If a customer has a problem that can’t be solved by your team, you are the next stop! The job also involves hiring staff, delegating tasks and reporting to senior management.
Customer Services Manager
This is the role for you if you aim to make it to the top of the career ladder. A manager has responsibility for a team and, depending on the organization; you could be in charge of a chain of stores. Remember, bad managers, result in reduced profits, demoralized staff and poor customer service. It is a high-pressure job as you must take the blame if your store performs badly but on the flip side, the rewards are tremendous.
Tailored Resume Tips
If you want a customer service job in Trinidad and Tobago, your resume must stand out from the crowd; this means you must tailor it specifically for the position. Of course, the usual tips still apply; outline your experience in customer service and show how it enables you to improve the customer service performance of the employer. In your work history, show an example of how you solved a customer’s problem if possible.
Regarding skills, try to include whichever of the following applies to you:
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Flexibility.
• The ability to organize, manage and communicate across different staff levels and functions.
• Problem-solving capability.
• Outstanding verbal, written and oral communication skills.
• Good time management skills.
• The ability to work as part of a team.
• Leadership skills.
• Goal driven.
Remember, you should not include any skills that don’t apply to you and always try to showcase your competencies through real world examples; preferably work-related.
There are also a variety of ‘buzzwords’ you can use to highlight skills and strengths including:
• Persuaded
• Contributed
• Overcame
• Accomplished
• Demonstrated
• Assertively
• Creatively
• Resourcefully
Interview Tips
As every customer service position involves ensuring you have a positive relationship with customers, expect the questions to probe into your ability to provide consumers with the right service. Interviews will include ‘traditional’ questions on your employment history, skills, and educational qualifications.
However, there will be a decided slant towards trying to find out more about your personality. As a result, you will probably be asked Behavioral Interview Questions that focus on how you handled past experiences in other roles. The interviewer wants to know if you have the proper customer service skills including analyzing and solving problems, patience, stress tolerance, and accuracy.
You can also expect Situational Interview Questions that ask you how to handle a hypothetical scenario. These queries include:
• How would you handle an angry customer?
• What would you do if a customer was wrong?
• The customer has pointed out a commonly known flaw in the product, how do you handle the situation?
Other commonly asked questions include:
• What is your personal customer service philosophy?
• What does excellent customer service mean to you?
• Tell me about a time when you worked in a team.
• Describe an occasion when you provided excellent customer service.
• Think of an organization known for excellent customer service. What makes it so successful?
Short, Medium & Long Term Growth Opportunities
If you wish to pursue a career in the customer service industry in Trinidad and Tobago, you can land an entry level role with little more than high school diploma in the short term. A degree in a subject such as Business Studies, Management Studies or Marketing could push you towards the ranks of Customer Service Supervisor.
In the medium term, you’ll need to gain enough experience to be considered for the role of Supervisor if you began as an Advisor or Assistant. In larger organizations, graduates could start as a management trainee with a view towards becoming a manager within a certain period.
In the long term, you can aim for the role of Customer Services Manager. You will help your cause by joining a professional organization and displaying an outstanding commitment to the role. Ultimately, you could move into a wider management career once you have expanded your knowledge and experience. In the retail sector, for example, you could become the manager of a number of stores in an entire region.
