We\u2019ve heard it six thousand times: The workplace is changing. We know that members of today\u2019s workforce want to be successful, but they also want to be happy. We understand that they want to scale their businesses, but they want to help others do the same. And we\u2019re certain that their ideas are creative, innovative, and savvy, but that they would rather build upon these ideas with their peers than flesh them out on their own. What we don\u2019t know is how this professional shift will impact companies\u2019 hiring needs, as it seems that roles and responsibilities that didn\u2019t exist a few years ago (or even a few months ago) are emerging daily.<\/p>\n
One such position is a Community Manager, a unique role that I\u2019m almost certain my parents will never fully understand. Coming into this job fresh out of college, my experience in customer service was limited entirely to the summers I spent hosting at a local Italian restaurant. Very clearly, I had much to learn. This is not to say that working in the restaurant business isn\u2019t a tough gig, but managing a diverse community of entrepreneurs is another thing entirely. After all, this is a business of teamwork and our members\u2019 many successes (and even their failures) are also our own.<\/p>\n
So while I am hardly a seasoned vet in this arena, the past seven months have given me just enough time to recognize some truths about good management and what is required to shape a group of individuals into a community:<\/p>\n
Situations in which you tell your customers \u201cno\u201d should be few and far between. This is not to say that your dedication to good service should ever allow others to take advantage, but it does mean that if one of my members needs assistance booking a conference room, it really doesn\u2019t matter that I was just about to step out for lunch or that they caught me in the middle of handling something for my supervisor. The answer should (almost) always be \u201cyes\u201d\u2026and an emphatic one at that.<\/p>\n
The area of customer service requires great skill in the art of\u00a0\u201ctroubleshooting.\u201d One should solve problems before they arise and anticipate trouble where others expect none. And while only months ago, I never dreamed the word \u201ctroubleshoot\u201d would become an integral part of my daily vernacular; it has nonetheless proven to be one of the most important aspects of my job. Members, clients, customers, et al. don\u2019t have time to ask for things to be fixed, which means it is essential that things are fixed before they are even close to being broken.<\/p>\n
Like duh, right?<\/p>\n
However I\u2019m talking about more than just understanding consumer behavior. It\u2019s about getting to know them as people with families, hobbies, goals, and favorite 90s sitcoms. Let\u2019s not forget these too: the names of their spouses, mothers, kids, dogs and all of their birthdays to boot! Know how they take their coffee and why they do what they do everyday. As a customer service provider, you have to do a little digging into your customers\u2019 lives (in the least invasive manner, of course) and your efforts to do so should always be sincere.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re all human, so we should behave accordingly. Yes, policies and regulations have their place in all business models, but that doesn\u2019t mean there isn\u2019t room for a little interpretation. It\u2019s okay to make exceptions, particularly if this will diffuse an undesirable situation. So go ahead – accept a forbidden product return and maybe even dole out a few discounts. Doing so will have a huge impact on your customers\u2019 experiences.<\/p>\n
Nope, Rome wasn\u2019t built in a day, but maybe no one told the Romans to lay off the GChat. There\u2019s no doubt that e-mails, instant messages, and tweets have revolutionized the way we communicate (In fact, they make it seemingly possible to go days at a time without actually uttering a word).<\/p>\n
But at the risk of sounding like my grandmother, labeling these methods as forms of \u201ccommunication\u201d can be problematic. After all, fostering collaboration, relationships, and trust can be tricky under the best of circumstances, but it\u2019ll be even harder unless we move away from our monitors. So consider knocking on someone\u2019s door, picking up the phone, and giving him or her a call. Or better yet, send a quick handwritten note. With little touches like these, you\u2019ll notice a positive difference in your community.<\/p>\n
-Your Community Manager<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We\u2019ve heard it six thousand times: The workplace is changing. We know that members of today\u2019s workforce want to be successful, but they also want to be happy. We understand that they want to scale their businesses, but they want to help others do the same. And we\u2019re certain that their ideas are creative, innovative, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1127,"featured_media":6162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n