What To Do When You Have No Idea What To Do

No clue what to do with this goat apparently…

No sugar coating here, I’m clueless. I’ve taken what I’ve learned over the past decade and started to apply it to my new role with a new company in customer service.

And gosh darn it, so much of what I put value on previously just doesn’t quite cut the cheese here.

When faced with 900+ tickets and a 2 person team, do you put the focus on  building the support department itself, ironing out processes, or do you help the people writing in? Of course, my heart shouts, “HELP THE PEOPLE!” But, when you start putting focus there, you notice you can’t NOT focus on the process of building the support center as well. Throwing up my hands, grabbing a giant glass of wine, I feel completely defeated.

So, after finishing my wine, I realized I need to take a step back and return to the basics. Simplicity. K-I-S-S (emphasis on that last S):

What To Do When You Have No Idea What To Do

• Seek Guidance (Use Those Resources)

For those of us in the #CustServ world, we have contacts. And, we can use them to bounce ideas off of from time to time. How many of us do not take advantage of the great networking resources we have? While I always feel like I’m “bothering” someone when asking questions, I sucked it up and asked for some help. It was refreshing to discuss ideas and challenges with someone who truly, madly, deeply (yes, I went Savage Garden on you) understands the values of customer service. When you have no idea what to do in customer service, SEEK GUIDANCE.

• Ask Questions (And Lots Of Them)

When working with a new team, everything is well, NEW. That’s totally OK! But, in order to really understand what you’re doing, you have to ask millions of questions. Own the newb title and ask questions like you’ve never asked before. Schedule time to pick a co-worker’s brain. Conference call with a partner and have them send screen shots to you about their customer experience. Trust me, ASK QUESTIONS and you shall have must more clarity.

• Learn To Ride The Waves (Surfing Is Fun)

Okay, this last one is metaphoric. I have a very simple tattoo on my wrist as a reminder that, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

When you are starting anything new and you are clueless, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re learning something new and expanding your brain power! You can’t stop the fact that you’re in a demanding role within the ocean of customer service. But, you can learn to ride those wild waves. You have what it takes, just get out there, fall a bunch, get back up and ride.

[custom_author=jenny]