Coming back with one more article in our series “Good to Great”. Today, we’re focusing on the wellness industry. Products dedicated to self-care, mental health, sleep, and meditation are on a roll right now and require a special attitude. Today’s experts, Sara, a Service Delivery Manager, and Kate, a Team Leader, will help us create a portrait of a perfect consultant for the wellness industry project.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Consultant’s Required Skills
Kate: Our customers usually address us with two types of requests. The first one: typical questions on subscriptions, payments, or accounts, that we can resolve quickly. It requires a basic customer support skill set: communication, the ability to multitask, and process information quickly. The second type of request needs more attention. Our customers reach out to us with technical issues, business-related questions, or content-related requests. With requests like these, we encourage our consultants to take their time and research the answer thoroughly. We also understand one simple equation — the more complicated and complex the questions are, the more qualified a consultant has to be to maintain the high quality of our services.
As we choose consultants for this project, the main criteria would be cultural fit. We expect each of them to share the same values our team represents. We want them to be detail-oriented, proactive, vocal, and independent. Micromanagement is not our thing, so we expect our people to be autonomous in their duties.
Sara: Our client’s project is a mobile app for meditation. We have been with our client for years already, know their requirements, and take a special approach when it comes to picking consultants for the project. As always, we prefer people with previous customer support experience. However, we are not keen on rejecting people who may not have any previous experience if we see potential and the right attitude. If a person is dedicated, empathetic, and willing to learn, any other issue can be overcome with time and practice.
Perfect Background
Sara: As our product is a meditation app, used for supporting wellbeing and mental health, the interest in this topic will be a great plus. I was super into psychology myself, and I discovered and loved our app long ago, as I had been looking for guided meditation practices. An understanding of an area we’re dealing with lets us establish a deeper connection with our customers. Empathy is definitely a must-have customer service skill, but in the wellness industry, it is crucial. Our customers can often be tired, anxious, or stressed for their own reasons, and we need to take this into account and give them extra attention and understanding.
Kate: Some kind of specific background would not be a determining factor, but can become an advantage. We’re dealing with a mobile app, and customers’ requests may concern bugs or any other technical issues. This is where a consultant’s technical background would be extremely helpful, and if our new team members have it, they deal with more complicated requests almost right away.
Cultural Fit
Sara: Our client’s company is located in the United States, a country with a very diverse demographic and a high level of mental health awareness. As an outsourced team, we must adjust to our client’s values and mindset as much as possible. Even today, mental health is still often a taboo topic, and even though most people struggle with it at some point, it is still often stereotyped and stigmatized. In our team, it is unacceptable. Our consultants must understand the importance of supporting one’s mental health and know how to do it.
Besides, our client is very welcoming, and they treat people extremely well. There was an interview I remember: we introduced a candidate to our client’s representative. The candidate was not really a fit for the team, but they were familiar with our app and were super excited about it. The client’s rep noticed and appreciated it, and though the candidate didn’t get a job offer, they got a yearly subscription as a gift from our client. To me, that was a great example of their attitude toward people in general. We do our best to match this kind of approach as much as we can.
Kate: Being an outsourced service provider, we are still integrated into the client’s team and communicate closely. Which means we need open-minded and cooperative consultants. We are proud of the great team we have built, and we want each new person to only make it better. The qualities we are looking for can mostly be spotted during an interview, and if we see that a candidate is great for us, but lacks hard skills or experience, we can invest more time in training them. First impressions always go a long way. I recommend potential candidates to come to their interview with a positive attitude and show their readiness to work and learn. A will to learn new things can make up for the lack of experience.
How Do Supporters Support Themselves
Sara: Customer service is a stressful job. We need to listen to people’s issues and what’s going on in their lives, and often be a target for their emotions. It happens daily, and one can’t prepare enough for that. Listening to customers and accepting their emotions, we still need to avoid taking them personally. We always need to understand that these people are going through something and there is a reason why they are acting this way.
Kate: Customer service is a great experience, as it lets us learn so many new things. But still, we need something to take our minds off after business hours. Everyone should have some kind of activity that helps them recharge. For example, my activity of choice is ballet — I am 100% focused on what I do here and now, and after the class, I feel filled with energy.
Sara: Having another passion besides daily duties is great. For my personal growth, I found psychology really beneficial. Learning about your mind and how it works, and how to process emotions, was very helpful for understanding how to relax properly. People often want to prove themselves to be the best at what they do, and they give themselves too much. But still, prioritizing your own well-being is crucial.
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Anastasiia Nesterova.
With a diverse background in writing, including IT, logistics, and business, Anastasiia now focuses on customer support and communication. A true book lover, reading is her biggest passion — she prefers books over anything else. She believes the greatest thing a keen reader can do is to write themselves.
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