Customer Service Mindset: Key Link in the Chain not Life in Chains | #custserv #LeadMorale

Customer Service Mindset: Are You a Key Link?

If your work is in service to others, do you see yourself as a key link in the chain of success? Customer service reps, call center agents, customer care associates, technical support analysts, hotel staff, flight attendants, healthcare professionals, and public officials (to name a few), your customer service mindset matters. The best service professionals see their work as a key link in the chain of success not life in chains of servitude.


Customer Service Mindset: Image is big chain link.

Customer Service Mindset: Important Link Not Life in Chains Image by:VersaGeek

Grateful for image by VersaGeek via Flickr Creative Commons License.

Customer Service Mindset: Insights from the Best

How do the best in service achieve this zen like state working in what so many others consider to be a stressful service work?

Here are the answers I have collected over 25+ years of teaching professional people skills to these inspired professionals:


  • Customer service mindset that you are chained to the demands of service means you are focusing on yourself. Remembering you are a key link in the chain of success keeps you focused on the customer.

  • Satisfaction comes from knowing that I helped — made their life easier, found the solution, made the experience fun, lifted them up. This customer service mindset lifts me and the customers up.

  • On tough days, I take pride in how great I am under pressure.  Other service staff buckle, I don’t.

  • I never let envy of non-service jobs rob me of the joy of service work. My customer service mindset comes from the high of making a difference.

  • Before working as a technical support analyst, I was in the Coast Guard patrolling in the Gulf of Mexico. Drug running boats shot at us daily. Trust me, tech. support customer service work is not stressful. Choose your mindset!




Career Success: Choose Your Mindset!

Choose your attitude every day.  Why let angry or rude customers change your choice?

Choose to see the value in what you do — a key link in the chain.

Choose to educate yourself about business success by learning directly from the customers.

Choose service work at an enlightened company whose customer service mindset focuses on the key links you provide.

Choose, as leaders, to enlighten your organization’s approach to customer service and to help change your industry with your enlightened view.

Choose to evolve and grow every day of your life.


Which mindset will you choose?

Customer Service Mindset: This is image of a coil.

Customer Service Mindset: Life In Chains?

or

A Key Link in the Chain of Success



Customer Service Mindset: Image is chain with engraved weight that says success.


Regardless of the type of work you do, you can choose to live a customer service mindset and be a key link in the chain of success.

From my professional experience to your success,
Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™

©2017-2021 Kate Nasser, CAS, Inc. Somerville, NJ. I appreciate your sharing the link to this post on your social streams. However, if you want to re-post or republish the content of this post, please email info@katenasser.com for permission and guidelines. Thank you for respecting intellectual capital.


Kate Nasser, The People Skills Coach™, delivers coaching, consulting, training, and keynotes on leading change, employee engagement, teamwork, and delivering the ultimate customer service. She turns interaction obstacles into interpersonal success. See this site for workshop outlines, keynote footage, and customer results.

Get more inspiration and actionable tips for high engagement results!


 

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12 Responses to “Customer Service Mindset: Key Link in the Chain not Life in Chains | #custserv #LeadMorale”

  1. Jen Kuhn says:

    Hi Kate,
    This post is truly inspirational! You have skillfully addressed the challenges of work, without diminishing the person experiencing those challenges. I ascribe to the idea that “everything is relative” (luckily, not everyone is MY relative!); and it often times allows me to be upset with a situation despite the fact that I understand others are in worse situations. Despite this belief, I also like to keep things in perspective.
    What you’ve done in this post is just that: described perspective, opportunity and choice. That’s a large undertaking. You not only give people a way to view their situation (switching mindsets from being “chained” to being a “key link” in that chain), you also put things in perspective in a respectful manner, and remind people that they have a choice in their attitude and mindset.
    Bravo!
    Jen

    • Kate Nasser says:

      It is one of the simple truths Jen — we do have a choice. Sometimes the choices don’t seem easy. Sometimes we like to even point fingers at outside “reasons” for our struggles and disappointments. I have done it in my life. One day I woke up — over 20 years ago — and said if you don’t like your life Kate it is your choice to change it.

      I am glad this post is ringing true in its basic truths. Many thanks for your experience and also time in stopping by to comment.

      Best wishes for an inspired day.
      Kate

  2. Jay Baron says:

    Great stuff, Kate!

    You definitely hit the point here, that attitude is everything. How an agent sees their job goes a long way towards how well they’ll enjoy and ultimately succeed at their work. Not much to add of my own, but I will definitely be rereading this before I head into the office this week to refresh my mindset.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      I am heartened by your reply Jay. Though much of my work is teaching the skills of better human interaction in the workplace, I am at heart an inspir-a-tor. To hear that you will re-read as inspiration for the day, makes me very very encouraged as well.
      Have a super day.
      Kate

  3. Alan Berkson says:

    Kate,
    What you’ve laid out here is a checklist of sorts for what makes a good CSR (as well as a few points that everyone should apply to his/her job). Customer service is not for everyone. If someone looks at your bullet points and can’t relate and be encouraged, he or she is probably in the wrong business.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Yes Alan.. I tend to agree. If they cannot feel inspired in a career of service then why not find a career that will fulfill them? They win, the customer service team members benefit from the lack of negativity, and the customer of course will be interacting with those who are inspired.

      Hope all is well with you and thanks for sharing your perspective.

      Happy Holidays,
      Kate

  4. Colin Taylor says:

    Kate,
    I enjoyed the article and agree with your perspective. One analogy we employ when we are working with call center clients is that they have a choice: They can operate the center as a ‘slave galley’ with the agents chained to their stations and rowing to the beat and direction called out by those in charge, or They can operate the center as a Viking longship, with unfettered agents rowing to a common goal with a common purpose.

    Colin

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Colin,
      What an analogy! Such an intense comparison that it leaves a lasting impression. Thank you, truly, for sharing it here. I hope you will visit this Smart SenseAbilities blog again and share your experience over and over.

      Best wishes,
      Kate

  5. Marla Beard says:

    This information can help a CSR but all employees need to use these helpful tips. Anyone in contact with a customer is engaged in Customer Service. Retail managers often don’t realize that the customer doesn’t make a distinction between them and the CSR. A caller is routed to the wrong department and the person on the other end of the line is a CSR from the caller’s perspective.

    CSRs are usually the least respected and lowest paid employees! This is also a big reason why they often feel their service is servitude. Companies depend on the CSR’s skill and tact–they’re what keeps customers, and ultimately what keeps the business’ doors open.

    • Kate Nasser says:

      VERY well said Marla. I truly agree with your statement about all employees serving the customer. Glad you found these thoughts to be helpful.

      Hope you will visit Smart SenseAbilities again and share your perspective on any topic of interest.
      Best wishes,
      Kate

  6. Ann Sole says:

    As for me, working as a call center agent – can be very steressful, especialy when you`re doing cold calls. I`ve had this experience once in my life, and I must admit – it wasn`t too much exciting) For that time this inspirational list could be just what the doctor ordered for me) Nevertheless, I`ve had some positive emotions mostly after being useful to people, perhaps they were just about to start looking for a thing I was proposing to them) And they appreciated it lot!

    • Kate Nasser says:

      Hi Ann,
      How wonderful for you that customers are expressing their appreciation. Human interaction like that lifts everyone up. I am glad that my post inspires you to great service even when the customers are not so nice.

      Best wishes to you and continued success,
      Kate

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