Want to excel in customer success? Put yourself in your client’s shoes.
Nathan Bedford has learned this firsthand as a customer support lead for business outsourcing solutions at Identity Digital.
“Being aware of your own emotions and having empathy can make all the difference in a stressful situation for both teammates and customers,” he told Built In Colorado.
Emotional intelligence is one of several skills Bedford relies on in his role at Identity Digital. He said that the company makes it easy for him and his teammates to keep their skills sharp, encouraging them to pursue online courses and set aside time for exploration.
Supported by this growth-focused culture, those on Bedford’s team have countless opportunities to build the skills needed to succeed, such as a proactive mindset, which is a trait that he believes sets top CS job seekers apart.
“While most can analyze something that has already happened, the ability to think ahead and proactively work to prevent issues or improve processes, even if not perfectly, offers a remarkably refreshing perspective,” Bedford said.
Below, Bedford shares more about the skills he leverages most in his day-to-day work, how Identity Digital helps him grow and his advice for customer success job seekers who are eager to stand out.
About Identity Digital
Identity Digital offers the world’s largest domain extension portfolio in an effort to help brands and people regain ownership of their digital identities.
What core skills do you rely on most in your customer success role?
The two most important skills I rely on are emotional intelligence and analytical thinking. Being aware of your own emotions and having empathy can make all the difference in a stressful situation for both teammates and customers. While it might be just another day at work for me, the customer could be grappling with something of utmost importance to them, and my role is to help navigate that.
Analytical thinking is equally important and crucial for staying on top of the latest tools, trends and the evolving needs of both our business and our customers. A significant part of my job involves ensuring seamless workflows across different teams. This requires the ability to meticulously break down problems, anticipate as many “what if” scenarios as possible and then implement solutions with minimal downtime or impact on other processes.
How does your team, manager or the wider organization provide opportunities for you to hone your skills or develop new ones?
I’m grateful for the support and encouragement I receive at all levels to hone and develop my skills. At the company level, we have dedicated learning time blocked off regularly, allowing employees to pursue courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning related to any area of interest. My manager also organizes team learning or exploration events that we participate in as a group. These sessions are often centered around topics suggested by team members, and we gauge interest collectively. Additionally, my one-on-one meetings with my manager provide valuable opportunities for guidance and skill development.
“I’m grateful for the support and encouragement I receive at all levels to hone and develop my skills.”
What advice would you give to a CS professional looking to stand out from the pack and join your team?
Two qualities that help someone stand out are a proactive approach and a genuine interest in emerging tools and technologies. While most can analyze something that has already happened, the ability to think ahead and proactively work to prevent issues or improve processes, even if not perfectly, offers a remarkably refreshing perspective. Combine this mindset with curiosity about things like AI and how to implement them while maintaining a fantastic customer experience, and you wouldn’t just stand out; you’d find the work genuinely fulfilling.
