Start by becoming humble: Nishat Rahman

The Business Standard (TBS): What does it take to become a customer care executive?

Nishat Rahman (NR): To become a customer care executive, one must possess in-depth knowledge of the business, product and compliance while having the etiquettes to interact with a customer and advance communication skills. Anyone applying for such a position should also have an inquisitive and persuasive mindset.

TBS: What led you to this profession?

NR: What led me to this was a real-time experience and from the realisation of concepts and effort of creating value to life and living. Also, I wanted to grab the opportunity to get connected to the escalation process of people's life and living standard. I consider this an accomplishment in my career. 

TBS: Have you faced any hardships as a female customer care executive?

NR: Not much that can be mentioned. But there is one thing I would like to highlight. Our society should groom a daughter in such a way so they do not lack the skills to be outspoken, and gain deeper practical knowledge through commercial interaction by getting in touch with reality.   

TBS: Why is customer care important for a business and how can it impact the wellbeing of a company?

NR: Business is all about adding value to people's life. The term "customer care" is put in motion when someone starts thinking about a business. If customer care fails to create that value, the business concept of "pay for value" would not work. It would be difficult for that business to sustain.

Moreover, life evolves every minute and so does the requirement of living. If a business is not well connected to its customer and their continuous change of need, expectation and issues, the business will not be able to move forward.

TBS: Why are there so many customer complaints in Bangladesh? What can be done about it?

NR: Bangladesh is now marching forward towards being a progressive nation. Companies, as well as regulatory authorities, are concerned about customer rights and obligations. Development is a continuous process. But there will always be areas to focus more on, such as customer communication and customer education, as well as creating customer awareness.

On the other hand, being a customer of many services, I believe that as customers we are yet to adopt the full mindset of acquiring knowledge about a product and service which we use or need. Most importantly, we are yet to opt for self-service.

TBS: What are the attributes a customer care executive should have?

NR: Values and an ethics driven attitude are two of the most important attributes a customer care executive should have. They also require cultural grooming, a positive mindset and inquisitiveness for insights.

TBS: How is the future for soon-to-be customer care executives in Bangladesh?

NR: Starting from conventional to digital platforms, Bangladesh is in the transformation era. Our country is on its path to economical progressiveness. More business opportunities are being created at a continuous pace.

Automatically, these business opportunities would attract more national and international platforms for customer care executives, which are inclusive of BPO. Although the current pandemic has paused the pace a bit, life will always keep moving forward. From that context, I would like to specifically mention the opportunities digital transformation in Bangladesh will bring.

Therefore, to be a customer care executive, one should prioritize technology-based solutions and learning international languages could hold the key to the future. 

TBS: How much can a customer care executive earn?

NR: The earnings depend on the nature of the organisation, business modality, tenure of operations, service strategy and infrastructure, HR policies and financial strength.

TBS: Can you tell us about a difficult situation you faced while addressing a customer?

NR: The most difficult situation I think I faced was while trying to teach a customer how to obtain self-service confidently through technology, rather than a human because it is very important to help customers adopt digitalization in this digital era. Adopting digitization is also an important and cost optimization factor for this day and age.

TBS: What advice would you like to give to people interested in becoming customer care executives?

NR: If you dream of becoming a part of a life-changing creation, start by being humble in delivering customer care. Become a master of customer needs and expectations. It has the potential to equip you with the insight to plan out the right products for customers and go-to market strategies for businesses.

Nishat Rahman is currently the Head of Customer Service at bKash.