From Support Specialist to Product Specialist
Samuel's journey
2020
Customer Support Specialist
2021
SuperUser
2023
Product Specialist
"I often think about it as a race or a comptetition – nobody else knows we’re competing, but I do, so I will always try to be the best. If there’s a scoreboard, I want my name on the top, even if nobody else will see it."
Samuel has only been in Webhelp for three years, but he’s already managed to grow from a Support Specialist, to a SuperUser and then a Product Specialist. Read on to find out about how his passion for work turned into a key element in his growth.
Q. When and how did you start working at Concentrix + Webhelp?
I started in Concentrix + Webhelp on 30 November 2020. Before that I had been attending university for about a month, but I didn’t really gel with it, so I decided to look for a job. My brother worked at Concentrix + Webhelp at the time and he said it was a good place to work. I was interested in tech and used a computer a lot, so it felt like a natural step.
Q. How do you remember your time as an Advisor?
Quite fondly, actually. It was a lot of fun – speaking to customers and getting almost a small insight into how people live. Of course, there are some negatives, but there are also a lot of positives. I remember I had a really good connection with my coworkers in my team and I really liked my team manager. I know a lot of people don’t wish to go back to being an advisor, but I really do remember everything around it being fun.
We had a formal training too, of course, but it was nice to see more experienced people than me work and listen to them, ask them questions – it made me develop a lot.
I started as an advisor and went through the normal progression that we have from the delivery calls, then you go into broadband support and TV support. Then I had further training for some other services that the client provides. And then, I stepped into another role, where you are still an advisor, but spend some time on other activities, like ordering field technicians to solve cases for customers. After I had done that for a while, I became a SuperUser in spring of 2021. At our site, that is quite a broad role – it includes training, advising colleagues with difficult cases through chat, disturbance management, system orders and other tasks. I did that for about a year and a half. And then, I got a job as a product specialist, which is also quite a diverse role.
I think I have gotten quite lucky. The person who trained us when I was an advisor was a SuperUser and I felt like that was something I really wanted to do. I like it when things change, so having a lot of different areas of responsibility was something I wanted to try my hand at.
I did a pretty good job in my role as an advisor – I showed I knew why we did stuff and how we solved customers issues.
There was a situation where a SuperUser was working alone while they usually were in pairs, so there was a big inflow of advisors writing to SuperUsers with their questions. So the SuperUser was drowning in chats, and they asked me to step in and help, which I did, and then they just kept calling me to step in and help out. Then, when the covid restrictions lifted, some people quit the company, and two supervisor roles opened and I applied for one of them.
Q. Can you describe what you do as a Product Specialist?
I am managing an internal website that stores information and routines. I manage the support side of that, the support checklist the advisors use so their calls flow nicely and we’re being efficient and not wasting time on unnecessary stuff. And I take care of a lot of reminders, news and spreading information to the advisors. So I’m focused on making sure the advisor can work well with the customer.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge in your career?
There are different kinds of challenges for each of the roles. When I started as an advisor, I hadn’t really done anything related to customer service. I was quite surprised at how almost strange it was to be treated by a customer. Usually, you would have a normal face-to-face conversation, but handling them over the phone was different – there were some demands and a bit of frustration, which was a bit of a challenge.
Then, when I became a superuser, stepping in and doing the training was the biggest challenge.
It wasn’t necessarily about speaking in front of a crowd of people, but making sure the way I communicate, which is often quite direct, fits with people. I had to learn when and notice what information they pick up and what they didn’t.
I haven’t been in my current role for too long, but time management is one of the things that I have to learn to do well. There are a lot of balls in the air we have to juggle. My responsibility is quite vast, so I have to learn to prioritize and asking help from people who have experience with this.
Q. What keeps you working in Concentrix + Webhelp?
I would honestly just say the colleagues. And the fact that I have had the chance to do a lot of stuff while working here. If it had been just a lot of the same, I don’t think I would still be here, because I get bored quickly. So it’s the change of pace and responsibilities that have been very good for me.
And the team I am apart of is really fantastic and we’re all friendly. If my colleagues weren’t as good, I wouldn’t be nearly as happy in my role as I am now.
Q. What has helped you advance your career?
I have a lot of drive for work. I hate being dissatisfied with what I have done – it’s not acceptable for me perosnally to just do the job – I have to really feel that I have done the job well, so I put a lot of effort into everything I do. In the beginning of my advisor career, I think it was the ability to take in information, understand why we’re doing things and then do it, and not ask too many questions or rebel against something if I don’t understand the added value. I would say being as effective as I can and really working hard and showing that you care, as well as helping your team if someone asks a question.
That’s what I tried to focus on – helping people and being the first guy to go “yeah, I’ll do it” because if you do a good job at it, then people will come to you automatically.
Q. Do you have any advice to the newcomers in Concentrix + Webhelp?
First of all, be knowledgeable. Be the person that knows what is happening. Almost certainly you will have a newsfeed or a place where people post information, so you can follow that and be the first person in the team that has the answer for your colleagues. When you’re doing work, for example, data input, make the nicest excel document - try to always be the best at everything you do. I often think about it as a race or a competition – nobody else knows we’re competing, but I do, so I will always try to be the best. If there’s a scoreboard, I want my name on the top, even if nobody else will see it.
So there’s no magic solution, it’s just about putting in the hard work.
And if you’re always visible in chats and conversations, people will take notice of you being active, which will give have a positive effect on how people perceive you. But mostly – it’s just the hard work.