Why credibility – not passion – is the foundation of influence in the domains of CX and Customer Service.
In the world of Customer Experience and Service, it’s easy to talk about passion or Customer obsession.
But there’s another quality – less flashy perhaps – but more foundational.
A quality that often determines who gets chosen, trusted and followed: credibility.
In this short reflection, I share what credibility means in our line of work – and why it matters more than ever.
The Client engagement we were up for
A few years ago, a global Client approached us to purchase one of our training programs.
They needed to embed specific skills and knowledge in-house across a large Employee population – and asked us to train about fifty of their internal Trainers so that they could deliver the program themselves.
Why credibility mattered most
During one of our early video calls, I asked the Client why they had chosen us.
Her answer has stayed with me ever since: “Because you’re credible.”
She continued…
“Before choosing you, we talked to people who had worked with your company. We checked on the work you’ve done and the results that were achieved.”
““And Dan, we wouldn’t put just anyone in front of our global Leadership Team. We had to check first.”
At the time, it wasn’t the answer I expected.
But it’s one that I will always remember.
And it comes with an important reminder.
Passion sounds great – but it’s not proof
Some people who work in the Customer domain – whether CX or Customer Service – like to describe themselves as passionate.
Or they will tell you how Customer-obsessed they are.
And while those qualities matter, I see them as inputs to who you are.
They drive how you see the world. And how you show up to do what needs to be done.
But they’re not outputs.
They don’t prove that anyone has actually delivered anything.
Even more – words like passionate or Customer-centric aren’t words that work very well when used to talk about ourselves.
They work better when other people begin to say them about you.
When you’re out there doing your work and people begin to describe you as passionate or helpful or inspiring or creative – whatever the qualities are that you’re aiming for – then you should take pride in that.
Because your work and how you do it has spoken for itself.
Interview conversations – an example
I’d love to hear someone in a job interview say –
“The people in my former Organization described me as passionate. I think that I earned/manifested/demonstrated the passion they were describing by _______________(what you did/achieved).”
As compared to this style of response –
“I’m passionate about Customers. If you cut me I bleed Customers. Customers are my absolute Number One priority…”
Really?
There’s a newer approach rising in the world of CX – and it’s great
These days, I’m inspired by a growing segment of CX professionals who are fluent in the language of business – operations, finance and strategy.
They get up from behind their desks and connect with people across the Organization. They ask people what matters to them – and collaboratively explore how CX can help.
It starts with one project. Then another.
Soon, success stories build and the word about you spreads.
And if people begin to describe you as passionate along the way – that’s great too.
But I like the concept that your foundation is your credibility – which you earn through consistent delivery, person by person and project by project.
And over time, that credibility – and that of your Team if you have one – grows your opportunity to positively impact people’s lives.
https://www.omnitouchinternational.com/values-dont-mean-much-if-they-dont-cost-you-something/
Thank you for reading!
Thanks for reading — and for caring about the craft of CX.
If you’re working to build credibility and influence in your role, I’d love to connect.
I share stories, strategies, and lessons learned from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service & CX – and I’d be glad to keep you in the loop.
Just drop me a line or subscribe on our website.
Daniel Ord
[email protected] / www.omnitouchinternational.com
