Three Winning Traits for Customer Service Pros

Corporate meetings can offer a pleasant escape from the monotony of the office to exotic, exciting places. While organizations expect to get something accomplished, many participants endure the long meetings inside windowless conference rooms while their minds are out on the beach, on the ski slopes or in the casino.

Now, take that corporate meeting and put it on a cruise ship and you’ve got the formula for excitement, adventure and fun. You can start your meetings in the morning in one exotic location and be in another by the end of the last afternoon meeting. Rest breaks and lunch take on a new meaning when the scenery outside changes by the second. PowerPoint presentations pale next to an ocean sunrise or sunset. 

Joyce Landry and Josephine King have been taking corporate meetings to the high seas for the past 30 years. In a recent article in Forbes, "Thee Keys to a Winning Service Attitude in the Service Industry," George Bradt shared three key attitudes that have made them successful. One of the keys is an “elegantly flexible culture.” While the other two are important, Bradt asserts that culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage.

He goes on to state that what gives Landry and King this competitive advantage is their passion, experience and confidence. For a job seeker looking to make a career in hospitality or customer service, these three traits could give a competitive advantage over other applicants. Experience is the only one of the three defined on a resume, yet most job seekers rely on the resume to make them stand out from the crowd. Passion and confidence, then, must be evident in the cover letter.

1. Passion. Cover letters can be predictable and a little boring. “I saw your job posting…I am interested in the position…here are my top qualifications…blah, blah." What was it about the job that prompted you to apply? The saying goes, “do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Let a prospective employer know why you are drawn to the job, profession or industry. How will you make a difference?
    
2. Experience. This is the meat of your resume. Instead of just listing your job duties for each position, include bullet points highlighting how you went above and beyond. List specific results, especially if you were instrumental in saving the company time or money, improved productivity, won an award, or landed a big client. 
    
3. Confidence. Take a tip from Toastmasters and take the “uhms” and “aahs” out of your speech. Hesitation makes you appear uncertain, timid or less than truthful. Eliminate the “…I think” or “…I feel,” and just say what you have to say with confidence. Some people don’t like to talk about themselves or their accomplishments. An interview is not the time to be shy. If you don’t sing your praises, no one else will.

These three keys can make a business, employee or job seeker successful. They also let customers know they are in the hands of confident, qualified and experienced service professionals who are interested in serving their needs.

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