Most of us want to be good employees — and most of us want to excel at our jobs. To be a successful employee especially as a Customer Service Professional and excel at work, its not simply a matter of being good at what you do. Being a successful CS Professional also involves issues such as professionalism, attitude, and teamwork — all of which is the thrust of this article.
Here are 15 tips on how one can improve as a CS Professional
- Learn how to perform your job well. There’s a big difference between just doing your job and doing your job well — and with pride. Making the extra effort, ratcheting up your game a notch or two, and taking steps to fill any voids in your work will all help you shine in your job as you serve your customers with whole heartedly.
- Work hard. It used to be that just showing up for work was enough to get by in some companies, but those days are long gone. Today, you not only have to show up and be at your job the full day (arriving on time and not leaving early), but also put in a full day of work. Keep personal calls, emails, texts, and the like to a minimum and give all your attention, time and effort to your customers.
- Act professionally. No matter what your responsibility is at your organisation, it’s important to be serious and focused on what you do — and act professionally in all situations. There’s a time and place for fooling around, and it is not the workplace. Professionals follow the rules and are courteous, friendly, and tactful. Acting professionally also means dressing appropriately for your job.
- Express positive attitude. They say first impressions last. Having a positive attitude is important. Customer love being served with a positive attitude. A smile goes a long way. Each contact with each customer will either build that customers loyalty or break it and that depends on how best we make them feel they are important and our attitude matters greatly in that regard.
- Take initiative. You may be very good at your job — and that is important — but do you ever try to push the limits of your work? In other words, do you ever consider better ways you could do your job — or better ways your department could work — and make suggestions to your boss/ team members? Just do not confuse taking initiative with knowing it all.
- Be a good team player. To be successful, service providers must also be good team players. Review how well you work in teams, examining key issues such as communications, working relationships, team successes (and failures). For a reality check, you might consider asking a few teammates for some honest feedback.
- Know your boss. You don’t have to be best friends with your boss; in fact, you don’t even need to like your boss. You should, however, know your boss. In other words, the better you understand how your boss thinks, acts, and manages, the better you perform your job to his/her expectations and demands. Now in Customer Service our customers are our bosses. How we serve them should be the same way we perform to those we report to. Without them we have no jobs!
- Understand your employer. Some people work at their jobs for years without really knowing or understanding their employer. Taking the time to understand the organization’s mission, goals, strategies, and products/services will help you better understand your role within it — and the value of the job you provide.
- Take (constructive) criticism gracefully. One of the hardest things for all of us to learn is how to handle constructive criticism — and how to use these critiques to improve our performance on the job. Yes, some bosses are truly nit-pickers, wanting everything done their way or not at all, but most bosses are simply providing feedback so you can perform your job better… so you can excel at your work.
- Cultivate relationships. Having workplace friendships with some of the folks who work with or near you is usually a positive element in job satisfaction — which should result in greater motivation to perform your job to the best of your abilities. Just be sure you make friends with positive people who, like you, are focused on excelling at their work.
- Take opportunities to learn new skills, jobs. The longer we work at one job, the more likely we’ll get bored with it — perhaps just going through the motions — until we are no longer excelling in our jobs. One way around this problem is taking opportunities for additional educational and training when your employer offers them. Also taking measures to master new skills to enhance your performance better.
- Be part of the solution. Don’t be the worker everyone hates — the one who is always quick to point out the problems… while offering no solutions. Instead, when possible, strive to be a problem-solver. Problem-solvers are a valuable commodity in every workplace.
- Avoid gossip. It should go without saying — but we’re saying it anyway — that it’s always best to turn a deaf ear to gossip and rumors. No matter how good a worker you may be, getting caught in the web of gossip will quickly downgrade your standing with your boss and employer.
- Volunteer for new projects. Whether to seek a little variety with your job or to try to score some points with the boss, volunteering to take on additional work and responsibilities can lead to greater job satisfaction, better work performance, and perhaps even a new direction for your career.
- Mentor new employees and younger workers. One of the greatest goods in the workplace is when an experienced worker mentors a younger, inexperienced worker. Helping the new worker learn the ropes will provide you great personal satisfaction — and will also put you in good standing with the boss.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For most of us, it’s important to strive to be the best worker we can be — to excel at our jobs. It’s not necessarily about impressing the bosses and obtaining a promotion (though you may desire that down the road) — it’s more about having a sense of accomplishment for a job well done. Finally, remember that when you are the person that’s new to the job — or learning a new task — it’s always better to ask questions (even repeating the same ones until you fully understand the answer) than to proceed blindly and stumble so badly that you have no chance of recovering. Following the tips in this article should help you become an indispensable CS Professional of the organization’s team.