NOVEMBER 2022
Adam Keast Head of Auxus Auxus
What was your first role in customer service? Not long after leaving school I moved to Japan to teach English for 6 months. Having picked up a reasonable grasp of the language on returning to Australia I started working in hotels where there were plenty of Japanese guests that I could assist with my new language skills What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Always plan to leave early to ensure you have ample time to manage the unexpected. There’s nothing worse than running late for a flight, job interview, work or important meeting when a little bit of pre-planning can mitigate any issues along the way.
What is your proudest achievement in customer service? I moved to Dubai in 2009 as the pre-opening Chief Concierge for InterContinental Dubai Festival City. I built a team of concierge who had never worked in the city before and we won the Concierge Team of the Year award, run by the Dubai Department of Tourism, in our first year of operation. This had never been achieved with such an inexperienced team. What advice would you give to a person starting in their customer service career? Never treat a customer query as an interruption, treat every customer query as an opportunity to create a WOW factor and exceed their expectations. What is the best thing about working in customer service? The sense of gratification of going above and beyond and creating experiences for your customer where they remember the interaction and most importantly your name.
Umesh Jayasinghe Manager – Life Union Assurance PLC
What was your first role in customer service? I started my customer service career as a Customer Service Executive. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? During very early stage of my customer service career, this common phrase told by my manager during a team gathering hit me so hard – “Customer Service is not a department, it’s an attitude”. What advice would you give to a person starting in their customer service career? I always say – ‘Customer Service’ is not everyone’s job. You need to have certain special skills to be successful in customer service. But upon all, you need to have one fundamental attitude to be in customer service. If you are stepping into customer service, the very first thing you need to have in you is to enjoy helping others. If you have this special quality, welcome to customer service. It’s your job. What is the best thing about working in customer service? For me, it’s all about self-satisfaction. The satisfaction of helping someone, making someone’s day with your smile and service, seeing them find a solution for their problems, your customers thank you smiles, notes etc. are priceless to me. Being in customer service, you have the magic of ‘making someone smile’.
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