ME First! ME First!

We see it all the time, people focus on their own needs first. That means the needs of others come in somewhere after. It is natural, but unfortunately, that does not always work when you are a Customer Service professional, and not the customer.

“It’s all about ME!”

“ME first! ME first!”

“The most important person in the whole wide world is ME.”

It is difficult to go against the pop culture that has flooded our thinking with these kinds of statements. On the surface, ideas like the ones above tell people that they need to care for and value themselves and what they do first, before they can be useful to others. This is only a half-truth.

Developing positive self-esteem also comes from performing estimable acts. In other words, people derive good feelings and confidence because of the actions they take – what they do. They don’t need to feel good about themselves first, in order to play well in life.

Confidence is directly tied to competence. Too often customer service people struggle, not confident in their dealings with customers and delivering poor service as a result. Yet, putting the focus on their self-esteem, will not fully address the problem. Self-esteem is a merging of self-confidence and self-respect. Customers want to know that the employee they are working with is confident and will be able to serve them in a professional manner. 

Have a customer service mindset. A service professional has to care about the experience of the customer and work continuously at enhancing it. Using a service mindset means putting others before yourself. However, putting others first requires re-ordering your priorities and taking care of another’s needs ahead of your own.

There is a reward in placing yourself after others, it comes from the value you get from your own actions, as well as from the affirmations of those you’ve helped.

Practice means improvement, and getting better at focusing on others means that you will develop a more keen emotional sense of what people need, expect, and want.

UB4me: Put the “You” Before the “ME”.

This information is discussed in our Customer Service Skills curriculum. If you’re looking for ways to improve your communication skills, register for one of our public classes.

Other Resources When Thinking Me First

How to Take an Audience-First Approach to Content

What is a Customer Service Mindset?

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