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The Key Behaviors of Successful CX Professionals
Customer demands for omni-channel, cross-functional, multi-level interactions and support have given way to a new breed of service. Today's customer experience (CX) professionals face a variety of challenges and demands, and are tasked with being understanding, knowledgeable and empathetic, all while dealing with a variety of personalities and issues.
There are a number of things successful CX professionals think, say and do to ensure they are providing the best levels of support and engagement possible. While there isn't one right way to be successful, there are definitely a number of behaviors proven to be beneficial to most CX professionals.
One of the core tenets of providing good CX is understanding that CX is directly linked to a company's success. CX professionals can prove this to senior managers by building ROI into their projects to ensure they have the funding and resources necessary to offer a superior CX.
Another beneficial approach to CX is shifting the focus on solving the root cause of issues and not just the symptoms. Experienced CX professionals understand they need tools and data to find out why certain problems keep occurring and how to stop them at their root, before they become pervasive.
A successful CX professional will also understand that influence is more valuable and powerful than control. Since not every situation will be within the control of the agent, learning how to influence the outcome of an interaction through experience and knowledge is an extremely useful tool.
Being positive and saying yes to customers is an important part of the CX professional's job. Customers don't want to hear that there's nothing that can be done to resolve an irritating or reoccurring issue. A successful CX professional will escalate the issue and work with other teams and departments to resolve it when possible. Maintaining a positive attitude while dealing with issues and customer complaints will also go a long way, both with customer interactions as well as internal company communications.
Team building is a critical component for a CX professional's success. Those who work to build strong partnerships and collaborate with others throughout their organizations have the best chance of providing positive customer interactions over the long term. Along those same lines, successful CX professionals understand that it's their job to keep learning and growing within their positions. That means taking part in regular training and courses and learning about new strategies for customer service and successful interactions.
A happy and fulfilled CX professional has the best chance for success over the long term. Understanding the key ways successful professionals behave in their roles can set up newcomers and those who wish to improve for long and fulfilling careers.
Edited by Luke Bellos