{"id":31689,"date":"2018-03-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/upgrade-your-customer-support-rep-to-a-customer-support-professional\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T11:19:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:19:48","slug":"upgrade-customer-support-rep-customer-support-professional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/internal-customers\/upgrade-customer-support-rep-customer-support-professional\/","title":{"rendered":"Upgrade Your Customer Support Rep to a Customer Support Professional"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>The other day, I was talking with a gentleman who was as passionate about customer service and experience as I am. He had worked with support centers, and we were discussing how important the team<\/a> in a customer support center is to an organization. Yet, it surprised both of us just how low-paid some of these support people are.\r\n\r\nThat made me think about the teller at a bank, the person who is the \u201cface\u201d of the bank for all intents and purposes. They greet the customers, handle their money, and work directly with the customers \u2013 more than anyone else in the bank \u2013 yet it is typically one of the lower-paid positions.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAnd that made me think about a receptionist at a company. Many times, this is considered a lower-paying position, too. Yet, the receptionist is often the first person the company\u2019s most important customers talk with. A talented receptionist is a friendly voice greeting customers who may have questions or concerns about the company or perhaps a potential customer getting their first impression<\/a> of the company\u2019s service and culture. The receptionist plays a critical role in the company.\r\n

I\u2019m not suggesting that the amount someone is paid is an indicator of their importance.<\/h3>\r\nBut it does surprise me that the lower-paid positions are often most responsible for interacting with customers. One way to reflect their importance, to show that they are the best of the best in any and all of these positions, regardless of what they are paid, is to bestow the title of professional<\/em>.\r\n\r\nWhile this can apply to any of these positions, let\u2019s use the customer support representative as an example. These are great people who work in customer support centers. They respond to customer\u2019s questions and complaints with patience, empathy, and efficiency. They answer phones, emails, texts, social media comments, and more. They\u2019re your front line for your customers. And they\u2019re often referred to as CSRs, or customer service representatives. What would happen if you simply changed the word representative<\/em> to the word professional<\/em>? How would that make the employee feel? How would it make the customer feel, knowing that he or she is dealing with a professional<\/em>?\r\n\r\nMaybe it\u2019s just a word, but when you call someone a professional, it elevates their stature and instills a greater sense of dignity and pride in their work. It\u2019s a daily reminder that you\u2019re more than just a CSR, you\u2019re a professional<\/em>. And remember, even if you don\u2019t have the word professional<\/em> in your job description or title, it doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t act like a professional<\/em>.\r\n