Welcome to Navigating the Customer Experience, today’s episode is going to be a little bit different. It’s a solo episode. I kind of just wanted to jump on here, not a very long episode and share with you our listeners just a little bit about our journey through podcasting, and to maybe give some words of encouragement to those persons out there that may be looking to start their own podcasting journey.
And even though our podcast is about navigating the customer experience, I do believe that customer experience is our life’s journey. I believe all of us are here to serve each other. When I started my company, Professional Training & Occupational Services, I started with the intention to create a more caring world. It’s actually the vision for our company to create a more caring world. I used to watch this cartoon on TV called Care Bears and they had these little beams on their tummies. They would beam out how they feel to everyone, it was just such an amazing cartoon, and it really inspired my drive to want to be a Customer Service Trainer.
And then podcasting was presented to me and I saw it as an opportunity to share my knowledge but also to gain knowledge from other people from all different walks of life, across different parts of the world as it relates to what they’re doing to improve on customer experience. It’s been a very rewarding journey, we’re about 245 episodes in and we just converted to video podcast. If I’m to be honest, I was very scared to convert to a video podcast. I was very accustomed to just sitting behind the microphone with the camera off and talking to different people, and I decided that I’m going to come out of my shy shell and I’m going to embrace the unknown of video podcasting.
We’ve only done 2 episodes, so we’re literally new to it. But I did some research, I spoke to a couple of podcasters that have sat on podcast panels for internationally and of course got their feedback and tips on what works and what doesn’t work. It has been a very rewarding journey.
But as I mentioned before, customer experience, I believe, is a lifestyle. I believe that everything that we do, we have to really give it our best shot. I’m lucky that in my life, I have chosen a career path that I’m really passionate about, for those of you listeners that have been listening to me over the years or even people who know me personally, would know that customer service is something that I’m very passionate about. I’m always concerned about how we can improve on the quality of the interactions that we have with each other.
And it’s not just limited to where I live or limited to the interactions that I have personally,
but to all different types of organizations, even the ones that have not been formed or created as yet. I think we all have an opportunity to add value. And I believe that there’s more than enough to go around. So, if you are thinking about starting a business or starting a podcast and you’re feeling very timid or shy, my encouragement to you today is just do it, as Nike says.
There’s no way you’re going to know if you are going to be successful at it unless you try. It’s going to be hard. You may feel, fearful, you’re going to have some anxiety around it, that’s normal, it’s natural, we’re all human. I believe even the most successful people do suffer from some form of anxiety or fear as it relates to different things that they may embark on in their lives. But they face those fears and that anxiety with courage, with strength. And it may mean that we have to get up back, put on our big girl panties and do it over and over again, but it’s worth it. In the end, when you look at the results and you look back on it 3 years from now, 5 years from now, you probably slap yourself and say,
“What was I waiting on? Why was I delaying?”
Why was I scared?”
What was the big obstacle that was stopping me?”
But you won’t know until you actually start. I think in life, it’s important for us to maybe even have a desire list of the things that we really enjoy doing. Because with all of the different opportunities that are available for us to communicate with people now, there are so many different social media platforms. I can just imagine what’s going to exist 5 or 10 years from now. But currently we do have a wide range of platforms that we can gather information from. Many people use the social media platforms by entertainment just to go on and watch mindless videos and get laughs and just kind of put their mind in a space of doing nothing and it makes them relax.
Some people use it for educational purposes. They’re able to learn how to do things. They have do it yourself activities, they use it for exercise. So, there are many different ways in which we can use the platform. If you’re really good at something, like maybe you’re a good baker, you’re good at sewing, or you’re good at making cabinetry, whatever it is, I’m sure that there’s a way that you can share that information with the world. All you need to do is have a smartphone. And I believe that most people do have a smartphone. Use it for the good, share the information with other people. Don’t shy away from what other people are going to think, or I’m going to get criticized. I believe that we all have our own unique value.
There are many people I’m sure that offer customer service training in Jamaica and in the Caribbean. But there’s only one Yanique Grant, there’s only one of me, one with my type of personality, one with my charisma, one with my experiences, one with my type of life history and the way that it has happened. So, there’s no way that anyone can actually replicate me exactly. God made each of us in his own unique likeness. And I just want to really encourage anyone that’s listening to this podcast or watching me on this video podcast, this solo video podcast today that the sky is the limit. You can achieve anything you want to achieve.
You can basically learn any skill that you really want to learn. I tell my mom all the time that there’s nothing that you can’t learn that’s not available online. I believe if you want to learn how to do anything, once you type it in Google or even type it on YouTube, the information will be there. Somebody has asked the question already. Somebody has produced the video already or produced article already that you can watch in order to gain the experience that you’re looking to gain.
So, I’m not going to stay with you long today. It’s a really, really quick jumping for the podcast. I love, love, love, love what I do. I am so grateful to God that I can teach customer service, that I can do market research, that I can do something that I genuinely enjoy and love every single day. And my wish to you is that you can have that same passion for whatever it is that you really love and like doing. Don’t delay, start. Don’t tell yourself that you can’t do it. Tell yourself that you can do it.
And surround yourself with people who are positive. Surround yourself with people who can contribute to your life in a positive and constructive way. And I believe if you have that focus in everything that you’re doing, you will be able to achieve your goals and you will even surprise yourself.
So, thank you for listening today. I really just wanted to share some great insights that I’ve been thinking about. I wanted to connect with you, my audience, my listeners, let you know what my journey has been like, let you know what my thought process has been like and how it is that I am where I am today.
I hope that if you are a listener of our podcast Navigating the Customer Experience that you will give us feedback, you will share with us any recommendations that you have for guests, previous guest episodes that you’ve listened to. Is there a guest that I brought on before that you’d want me to bring back again? Just let me know because I’m always open to the feedback and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for each of you that took the time to listen. Even if it was just one episode you’ve ever listened to, I am truly, truly grateful. So, thanks again and thanks for listening.
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