A Career in Customer Service, Technical Support or Sales: Which One Suits You Best?
An international experience not only make you grow personally but also opens doors in business life. Here on our website, you can find international jobs abroad in different fields. But what to look for in these jobs and how do you know whether a career in customer service,technical support or sales suits you best?
Don’t worry, this blog post will give you an overview of what to expect in different areas.
The range of customer service tasks is wide. Companies across all industries need to interact with their customers to ensure customer satisfaction, and these interactions take place across a range of channels – in person, on the phone, by email or chat, and increasingly via social media.
Despite all these differences, the core skills and qualities required for a job in customer service are the same. So if you’re looking for a job to start a career in customer service remember that companies are looking for these important skills:
Communication Skills
“Customer service is a ‘people’ business”. Therefore, it is important to show that you are a strong communicator during your interview. You’ll show this through the content of your answers, of course, but also in the way you answer.
Problem-Solving Skills
In a customer service position, you are responsible for solving people’s problems. It is important that your answers in the interview reflect your ability to think quickly, untangle tricky problems and find solutions.
Passion for Customer Experience
Customer service is the kind of job that, as said, has a lot to do with people. It can always happen that one or the other customer had a bad day and takes their bad mood out on you. That’s why it’s important to carry out this position with passion and to remain professional even when dealing with bad-tempered customers and not let these exceptions spoil your mood.
As the name suggests, staff in these roles play a fundamental role in providing support in all areas related to IT. This can include everything from dealing with forgotten passwords and email access issues to configuring networks, troubleshooting and removing malware.
What can you expect from a career in technical support and helpdesk?
Wherever there are IT systems and networks, there are technical support and helpdesk teams. Therefore, there is a wide range of opportunities for both beginners and those with more experience, qualifications and certifications.
Many technical support staff work as part of the internal IT support team of larger organisations. This means that they primarily handle support requests from staff in other departments. Others provide support for systems and services offered to customers, which means they have a customer service role in addition to providing IT support.
What is in it for you in terms of career development?
If you’re working in a full-time role as part of a larger organisation, the natural progression is through the technical support team. This may mean you develop a specialism in certain aspects of IT support, take on a more senior role such as support team leader, or become a department or division manager.
Many employers offer internal growth opportunities for their technical support and helpdesk team. There are also many possible branches for those who want to grow outside of a technical support role. Others tend to specialise in certain skills, such as programming, technical sales, systems administration, IT training or customer satisfaction.
In your international job search, sooner or later you will come across a lot of new opportunities in the sales field. A career in sales can be very tempting as the likelihood of earning a large income can easily make you think about starting a career in sales.
Many professionals enter the fast-paced and rewarding industry of sales because of the money, only to find that it’s really not for them. So before you apply for a sales job, here are some things you should know to make sure it’s the right path for you:
Income
Let’s start with what you probably really want to know: money! One of the most attractive and enticing reasons why people pursue a career in sales is the opportunity to earn much more money than in most other jobs. However, although the most successful salespeople can end up earning more than $100,000 a year, the average salary in sales is €40,000. So as an entry-level salesperson, you should expect to work for a few years with an initially low salary before you get the high salary you might expect. Because a successful career in the sales industry requires great experience and everyone starts small.
However, many sales jobs also come with bonuses, sales incentives, commissions, benefits and other perks that can make the overall compensation package quite valuable. The income you earn will, of course, depend on the company you work for, the type of sales job and the sales compensation plan offered.
Flexibility
A great advantage of a career in sales is the high degree of freedom and flexibility that the job brings, especially if you work in the field on a commission basis. If you don’t like being stuck in a cubicle all day, then sales is a great industry to get into. You’ll be on the road, travelling and seeing the world outside, so your working life will never be boring. However, with this level of freedom and flexibility, you’ll also need to have a strong sense of self-motivation and accountability to set your own schedule.
Daily Tasks
The daily tasks of a sales professional vary and depend on the role, the industry and the company. However, the main goal is always the same: it’s your job to do business and bring money to the company. Sales involve a lot of canvassing and cold calling, which can be quite mundane for some people. But you can also spend a lot of time on administrative tasks, like making presentations and maintaining spreadsheets. Or again, depending on the role, you can travel all over the country.
In sales, it’s important to look beyond the income and consider the job as a whole to make sure it’s the right job for you.
What are your career prospects? Have you figured out what field suits you better? Are you going to be a customer care advisor, a sales agent or a technical support representative? If you still have questions on what expects you in a job in these fields feel free to contact us. Our business partners offer various jobs in these fields and we help many people to find their next adventure by connecting them with their new employers.
Why don’t you take the chance to start a new career in customer service, technical support or sales?
