Over the course of time two elements have proven to be continuing requirements for success in business:

1.  Innovation, and
2.  Customer service

They have evolved and changed over time, but have not diminished. I have the privilege to be involved in an industry which focuses every day on how to become better at providing value to customers—the customer care contact center industry.

Your customer care contact center is the personification of your company and quite literally the voice of your brand.  For most of us it's where the customer experience happens. In fact, according to Shoshana Zuboff, a Harvard professor and co-author of the new book, The Support Economy, “90% of all customer service interaction starts with the telephone.” The contact center is where you make or break your customer relationship.

The customer care contact center is key to business to business and business to consumer enterprises, crosses all levels of government, and is common throughout the not-for-profit world.

If you want a career in Customer Care and Customer Service the contact center provides a great opportunity for you. What kind of opportunity? Although it’s not possible to paint a single picture there are many aspects common to the majority … so we can say with confidence that within customer care contact centers it is typical that:

• There are a wide variety of job functions that comprise the organization and they provide a logical career path for those motivated to excel and grow. It is not uncommon to advance from entry level positions to management and executive roles.
• The organization helps employees develop highly valued business skills including: people skills, problem solving skills, communication skills, customer service skills, sales skills, phone skills, negotiating skills, and computer skills.  
• The organization helps employees build highly portable business skills. Skilled customer care professionals are sought-after resources in most communities around the country and in many industries they are able to work for a wide range of employers outside of their local market … from the comfort of home. They are no longer bound by the dynamics of their own local market.
• The contact center provides an entry point for a career in a wide variety of industries, including: technology, travel, financial services, education, energy, transportation and the public sector.
• Job performance is measured without bias and high performance is rewarded.
• High quality employees are continually in high demand.
• Management encourages and supports formal reward and recognition programs for all levels of employees.
• Management understands the value of employee retention to the organization and works diligently to develop and promote programs to keep good employees.
• The organization prefers to promote from within rewarding employees who have demonstrated their impact and fit with the organization’s culture.
• High performing employees have opportunities for promotion within the first year of service.
• Compensation generally includes benefits such as health plans and paid time off.
• The enterprise provides training and development for all levels of employees.
• The contact center embraces an inclusive approach to diversity in the workforce where age, sex, race, ethnic background, disabilities, or lifestyle are not predictors of success or reasons for advancement.
• Bilingual employees find enhanced career opportunities.
• The contact center provides a professional career opportunity for people entering the workforce without a post-high school education.
• The best organizations strive to earn a position as “employer of choice” in their communities.
• The organization offers multiple work structures to support full-time, part-time, flex-time, and seasonal employment and increasingly offers options for non-traditional structures like telecommuting and  job sharing.
• Prior industry experience is not a mandatory pre-requisite for employment.
• Additionally, in a the face of growing concern about our environment customer care contact centers provide communities with a “clean” knowledge-based industry.

When a complete picture of a career pursued through the customer care contact center is presented we see an opportunity that is real, compelling, and enduring. It is my pleasure—and the job of all customer care professionals who care about this industry—to offer candidates, colleagues, and observers a more informed and more accurate perspective. Let's start now.