Recently I have been experiencing Identity (ID) Fraud issues. You hear it happens to others and you think it will never happen to you … and then it does. That is just life. It has been quite a deep learning experience going through being a victim of ID Fraud. It is quite common and as much as I would like to share with you what happened and what to be aware of, for now, I will invite you to look at a company called ID Care, they are super helpful (free service too). https://www.idcare.org/
ID Fraud issues are increasingly becoming very common and it is so easy for people to access your information as everything is online. I do encourage you to have a look at that website in your spare time.
What really really frustrated me throughout this process is the inconsistency of information from working with the government officials and professionals in the banking and telecommunications sector. Please do not take this personal if you work in these fields. However, what is important are the lessons I learned and how you can learn from this and be the best professional in your field.
I noticed the customer service and the information provided on the phone versus in person was a significantly complete contrast. Each time I approached someone, I received inconsistent information and advice that could have potentially made my situation worse than better.
The shocking part of the process was that I visited 2 different branches of a bank and I clearly asked them to STOP a bank account and yesterday I just discovered they did not put a STOP on my account. They did put a stop on the card and it was not what I asked for (I have my cards). I have no idea if people are simply mindless these days or have no empathy for people who are experiencing ID Fraud issues.
One lady even said to me as I was nearly breaking down at the bank, “ID fraud issues are normal these days, this morning we had another person going through the same thing.” In essence, “It’s no big deal, just get over it!”
There was no empathy.
So what does this mean for you and your career?
If you want to stand out in the market as a professional and be recognised as an expert, consider these ideas and questions:
- Listen to your customer or stakeholder, think about what are they experiencing?
- Is the information that you provide up to date and easy for them to understand?
- Do you fully understand what the customer’s or stakeholder’s priorities and perspectives?
- When you are listening, try to remove your own agenda (for the time being) from the conversation and actively listen to what the other person is saying.
- Be understanding and show empathy when you are working with people.
- Be consistent in your service and ensure other teams (locally or globally) are aware of the service levels.
- If you identify that other teams are providing the wrong or inconsistent information, speak up about it, it affects the entire customer service experience or stakeholder engagement.
- Be CLEAR – use this acronym to help you communicate more effectively, (I am pretty sure I read this in a book called Clear Communication). Clarify – Listen – Encourage – Appreciate – Reassure
Consistency is important in a successful company. If people in the same company are providing inconsistent service, it is not only affecting the company’s reputation but also your reputation. As you work for the same company and if a customer or stakeholder has a bad impression of the company, it ultimately affects you and your career.
I hope I have encouraged you to think about how consistency in what you do can make a difference to the customer service or stakeholder experience.
A little reminder to all those who are seeking work or know of someone seeking work or a promotion, I offer the program called A Second Opinion – Resume Review, it is only a small investment of $50.00: https://youtu.be/LUjctUbhCAU
Feel free to share this email with your family and friends.
Stay warm, we only have a few weeks to go before Spring comes. (I love Spring).
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
Kind regards,
Leonie Lam
Career Coach