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Is there a market for customer service consultants?
I've worked in customer service for 15 years. I am thinking that I am ready to get out of the call center and be in business for myself. Ideally I'd like to get some work as a customer service consultant and help businesses develop and implement better strategies. Do you see a hole in the market for this type of work? If you're a business professional, would you search for these types of services?
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1 Answer
Hi Mark,
As a Contact Center Consultant, there is definitely a demand and market for these services. But before you jump ship and strike out on your own, there are a few things to consider:
1) What is your specialization? Do you specialize in customer service best practices? Workforce Optimization? Coaching? Technology Design and Engineering?
2) Are you ready for long hours, heavy travel, and a life of being stuck to your smartphone? It is rare when a consultant has a regular 9 to 5 gig so consider the impact to your personal life.
3) Do you have a business development plan or know how to create one? Trying to balance delivery with business development is a tightrope to walk and you need a good development plan and it's rough when you didn't have time to get your next gig when your current gig runs out.
4) Are you prepared to become best friends with your accountant? Working as independent has a whole slew of tax and legal implications.
If you are comfortable with the answers to 1 and 2, but don't feel comfortable with answers to 3 and 4, you could also consider working as a contractor or for a small to midsize consulting firm. This can give you exposure to the consulting world before making that full jump to the edge of the cliff. A
A small to midsize firm will have a similar experience to being on your own than a large firm...and give you the benefit of not worrying about the tax and legal issues with other folks driving the business development.
I've been with the same firm for over two years and contrasted that with peers in the same industry that took different paths. While I can't say that I loved every minute of it (usually when I'm stuck at an airport in a strange city because of some freak weather event), I can say that I love 98% of it...but this is not a business for everyone.
Feel free to email me directly if you'd like more detail.
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