The Princess Of Customer Service

This article was originally published on the ICMI blog on March 07, 2016. Click here to read the original.

Exciting news!  The Fantasyland help desk is growing.  A position was just opened, and several of your favorite customer service pros have referred their top candidate.  One catch  – this person will be serving the “Magical Executive” customer segment and must be an official Princess.  Which princess do you believe would make the best Customer Service Representative?  Review the referral notes below and vote in our one question survey to see who gets the job!

Princess: Cinderella

Referred by: Al Hopper

Referral notes: Cinderella is the hands down, most qualified, candidate for the position at Fantasyland. Cinderella worked her way into her place at the royal court, unlike some of the other applicants. She learned many hard lessons about pleasing the most difficult of clients while she lived with her step-mother and step-sisters. These three did everything they could think of to make Cinderella’s life difficult, but she never gave up or took it out on her friends. Cinderella also learned the importance of working with a team during these formative years and never turned away the insights given to her from even the smallest of coworkers.She also learned how to listen to others and take instructions from the more experienced members of her team. Prince Charming saw enough potential in her to search his entire kingdom to find her after their first meeting to make her part of his team. Any service team would benefit from Cinderella’s life of experience and personal network with the royal court.

Princess: Ariel 

Referred by: Jenny Dempsey

Referral notes:  Ariel truly understands and grasps the importance of the customer voice. She is fascinated with the world, curious and eager to soak up new information. She learned from experience about how to stand on her own two feet and will encourage and teach customers to do the same. She dives headfirst into the customer’s world with every interaction. Ariel would be the ideal customer service agent for your team! (And holy sea shells, Rapunzel is more ferocious than a hungry shark….keep that in mind when hiring her!)  * Bonus points to Jenny for actually appearing in her own princess image!

Princess: Rapunzel

Referred by: Nate Brown

Referral notes: Rapunzel is clearly the best candidate for a Customer Service role.  But before I get into that, let me tell you why she is the only real candidate…period.  Ariel is half fish.  Unless your service center is “under the sea”, that option is pretty much out.  Jasmine is about as friendly as a trapped scorpion.  You don’t want someone telling your  customers to go jump off a balcony.  Cinderella is obviously that agent that drops out in the middle of the call as soon as the clock strikes 5 PM.  And forget about Belle….with her library addiction she would drown herself in the knowledge base before taking her first ticket.  Rapunzel, on the other hand, is young, smart and vivacious.  She is by far the most resourceful of the princesses – able to take on the world with a frying pan.  Difficult customers?  She put up with one of the most evil witches of all time for eighteen years with hardly a complaint. Problem solving?  She has mastered the “self-dialogue” required to overcome any challenging situation.  Team Fit?  She sees the good in everyone.  She married a common criminal for goodness sake because she is an amazing person, and does not get caught up in superficial things.  If you’re looking for an “A” player who will be with you through thick and thin, Rapunzel is your girl.

Princess: Belle

Referred by: Erica Marois

Referral notes: Belle was born to work in customer service and any contact center would be lucky to have her in a customer facing role! She has a gift for relating to people, and she’s able to remain calm and see the good in even the most difficult situations and people. She’s a pro at showing compassion to even the most beastly customers. On top of her natural capacity to show empathy, the girl knows her stuff! She loves to read in her free time and has a true thirst for knowledge. Studies have shown that people who read for fun have better critical thinking capacity than those who don’t. This means you can trust Belle to make tough decisions with little direction or supervision. You can also trust Belle to be a team player, and a leader on your team. She’s loyal to everyone around her and is willing to make sacrifices for the good of the team. Remember how she came to the rescue when she found her father trapped in the dungeon? She’s not the type to say “but that’s not my job.” She’s the type of agent who will step up to the plate and lend a helping hand no matter the challenge. If you’re looking for an empathetic, compassionate, and ambitious leader who has sharper critical thinking skill, greater ambition, and a higher emotional IQ than the rest of the applicants, then Belle is your obvious pick. She’s not only a princess, but a customer service rock star. Don’t miss out on the chance to add her to your team!

Princess: Jasmine

Referred by: Jeremy Watkin

Referral notes: If you’re looking for a quick learner who’s extremely versatile and possesses tremendous leadership potential, Princess Jasmine is the obvious choice. I could talk about her customer service skills, which include her ability to speak several languages and stand up to any challenge customers throw at her. I’d rather take the time to tell you how she will be your next great customer service leader and take your customer experience to new heights. Born into great privilege (see Pet Tiger), she longed to see a whole new world– a world where she could help others. As a leader you can be confident that she’ll never forget the importance of equipping her front-line agents to solve problems. She has the proven ability to engage in political conversations and disputes, all while being a peacemaker, which is essential in any business to drive real improvement. All of the candidates show great potential as customer service representatives but none possess the leadership ability of Princess Jasmine.

 

Which princess would you hire to work in your contact center? Don’t forget to cast your vote and comment below to tell us what you think!

 

This article was authored by Nate Brown, Al Hopper, Jenny Dempsey, Erica Strother, and Jeremy Watkin. Click their names to follow them on Twitter and gain terrific insight on customer service, customer experience, and contact centers.

Original Photo Credit: Jirka Väätäinen.  Edited by Nate Brown
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