Anyone not working in a customer focused role?

[Whatapalavaa]

I've always done roles involving some form of customer service. I can't do it anymore, it's soul destroying and I'm ready for a complete change.

I have been looking at vacancies however lots of roles (excluding things which are very degree/qualification specific) seem to involve having to keep some form of client/customer happy and dealing with the fallout. I'm a bit lost and not sure where to start.

Can anyone suggest anything entirely different or has anyone had a complete change that took them out of a customer/client facing role?

What are you skills, experience and qualifications. Are you willling to take a pay cut if you don’t have the right ones?

I’m thinking something like an apprentice position in eg accountancy if you’re good with numbers or engineering if you’re practically minded or IT etc

@DelurkingAJ
Are you willling to take a pay cut if you don’t have the right ones?

Dont think I'd have a choice so yes

Skills - customer service.

Degree and masters

The degree and masters in what

There are tech companies who will take women wanting to retrain

There's always some form of customer or 'client'. I work in an in-house specialist role and my 'clients' are other in-house staff. There are certainly customers and clients in accountancy. Mind you, at least if your clients aren't the great public, you are much less likely to be spat on/pissed on, although some of your clients will probably still be barking mad wherever you are.

@midgedude

Social sciences

That would probably put the tech companies off right?

I moved from retail based customer service to a civil service admin job. Its very different and a bit less lively than dealing with the wonderful general public, but I love it!

@zigzagbetty glad you made a move. Is it interesting admin? I've done very dull admin roles before.

I moved internally from a customer services role in a call centre to being an underwriter for the same company. I got to retain the perks of working for a large company including the salary I'd built up over the years without having to start from scratch, and now don't have to ever speak to a customer at all and it's wonderful. I like my job now.

Could you try looking internally within the business you currently work for to see if there are any non customer facing roles likely to become available?

No

I just got a social scientist intern for the Summer

And a number of our recruits were originally social scientists

Social science is complicated ... do you want to go in as a social scientist offering a people perspective, or do you want move into a more technical role ?

Have you done much stats as part of understanding social data ? That also opens up data analytics

@midgedude Yes I've done stats. Not lots - preferred qualitative. Do you work in tech?

@GoodnightKevin Yes I've looked but mostly customer facing recently. Underwriting sounds interesting.

Yes I'm in tech

And I think you could find role That links quant and qual analysis

Analytics roles , especially focussed on understanding customers

You might need to be prepared to learn how to do things like text analytics.. using machine learning to automate what you do qualitatively and to find smaller signals, but skilled cross disciplinary people are rare as hens teeth

Policy development in civil service springs to mind for you.

@midgedude Daft question but what are those roles usually called/advertised as? I wouldn't know where to begin.

Data analysis

Covers a wide range of things

I will think a bit more ...

OP after I had my DS I moved from FOH restaurant management to an admin role. Over the course of several years I worked up from admin to middle management and am now on a good salary with lots of interesting work.

My advice would be not to think so much about what you've done but what you could do, and don't underestimate how many transferrable skills you'll have. If you want to make a change, keep looking, get your foot in the door somewhere (in a junior role if necessary), and work your way up by being open to keep learning.

But try quant and qual research jobs in a search engine also

I work in commissioning and procurement. I very rarely have to speak to customers.

I moved out of customer service 4 years ago into a temporary admin role. I was terrified as I'd been at my last place for ages. It's brilliant. My "customers" are my colleagues and they are so sensible and polite in comparison to the old shop customers.

There's movement too, so I've worked across various departments and with varying levels of management.

I was made permanent shortly after joining so it was worth the move for me.

And I should add, some people assume admin means printing and posting letters, filing, and a bit of reception work.

Where I am it is not. I draft reports, analyse data and accounts, assist with projects and investment, as well as sort out IT and purchases etc.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

That sounds interesting. Did you have to go in at a junior role?

Yes. I took a pay cut and a lost a few days holiday. However it was worth it as
(1) it cut all my evening/weekend/Christmas/bank holiday working
(2) it was a small organisation so I became a bigger fish in a smaller pond
(3) they've paid for any extra qualifications I asked for
(4) it's broadened my experiences so I know now that I don't want or have to back to a customer facing role

I don’t ever want to work in a continuous face to face role with the general public. Phones aren’t quite as bad. I like the behind the scenes admin jobs that have the occasional contact with customers. I used to work for housing benefits and that was very much like that.