Customer Service Week 2023: Meet Lynda from Obiex

Let’s get to know you! Please introduce yourself, your name, your role and one thing you like.

Lynda: My name is Esiagu Lynda Odinaka. I’m the Customer Success Lead at Obiex. One thing I like? I like dancing.

What's the part about working in customer support that you enjoy the most?

Lynda: Resolving customers’ issues, especially complicated ones.

What's the part about working in customer support that you dislike the most?

Lynda: Receiving early morning curses from customers.

They don’t even say good morning? Just straight to curses?

Lynda: Yes!

Has being on the customer support team changed you as a person?

Lynda: I guess it has enhanced the empathetic person in me and made me realise that you can’t please everyone, no matter how hard you try or go all out for them.

Very insightful. Do you have any cool or funny stories from your time in the customer support trenches that you'd like to share?

Lynda: Lol. How many do you want? So, there was this time when a customer had an unconfirmed BTC deposit. It was unconfirmed on Blockchain Explorer, which means it wasn’t an issue from Obiex.

He swapped to NGNX and tried to withdraw, but because it was still pending, he couldn’t make a withdrawal. He reached out to customer support, and after checking his account, I told him he couldn't move his money till it was confirmed.

He started accusing us of ripping him off and attempting to steal his money. I apologised for the inconvenience and tried to de-escalate the situation.

Next thing, he said he would give my name to his father, and he would deal with me. I thought, ‘Instead of you giving the name of the person that sent you BTC to your father, it's my name you want to carry’. I continued my de-escalation attempts, but he wasn’t giving in. Things peaked when he sent me a babalawo (native witch doctor) picture.

Excuse me? He did what?

Lynda: Yes oh, Babalawo picture that he got from Google! He screenshotted it and sent it to me, claiming it was his father. I said to myself, ‘Today is today; because of customer support, they want to tie up my destiny.’

But I wasn’t really bothered. I hear worse things every other day while dealing with customers. Why will a fake threat bother me?

So, how did this encounter end?

Lynda: Fortunately for him, the coin was finally confirmed, and he was able to withdraw his money. He didn't come back to apologise or say anything. He just moved on.

Wow. Clearly, juggling the emotional rollercoaster of customer support and your own sanity can be tough. How do you manage that?

Lynda: It’s really tough. There are days I actually cry, then tell myself that we need to push ahead because there’s work to be done.

That sounds exhausting.  So what keeps you going and giving your best, even when the going gets tough in customer support?

Lynda: This might be hard to believe, but it's my love for customers.

I get it. There’s something about solving people's problems that feels good.

Lynda: Exactly!

Speaking of customers, Have you ever received any sweet feedback from a customer that totally made your day? And would you mind sharing it?

Lynda: Oh! I get them a whole lot, and that’s part of what motivates me to do better and go all out.

Can you share some with me?

Lynda: There was a withdrawal issue where the customer didn’t receive their funds. The Obiex merchants showed proof they had successfully disbursed the funds, but the beneficiary bank claimed they didn’t receive the funds.

This back and forth went on for three months, and throughout that period, I followed up like my life depended on it. At the end of the day, we found out the funds had been with the beneficiary bank all this while.

The customer came to thank me and tell me how touched he was by how I followed up to ensure he received his money. I felt this intense feeling of accomplishment at that moment.

Another instance was when I prevented a scam, and the customer rated me 5 Stars. It felt like an extra star to my customer success badge. Also, there was a day when a customer said, “Lynda, you’re the best”, and it made me cry happy tears.

Well-deserved praise! On the other side of things,  Dealing with tough or angry customers can be challenging. Do you have any secret tactics for handling them?

Lynda: I typically allow angry customers to express themselves, then apologise and ensure the issue is resolved as soon as possible.

Handling difficult customers is actually more challenging than angry ones because nothing you do will be enough. I just let them do their thing while I provide a solution to whatever the issue is or provide more clarification.

What is one misconception about customer support that you would like to correct?

Lynda: Hmm, I think a lot of people look down on customer service/support/success because they probably think it’s just responding to issues and escalating them to the appropriate channels/teams.

Customer support is way more than that. In this job, you’re in charge of a customer’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction and whatever you do or say would be used against you in the court of law, Lol.

I agree with you. It’s a vital part of any serious-minded business. Final question: What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career in customer support?

Lynda: Ensure you have a lot of empathy; you’ll need it. Empathy makes you give your all and go all out. It makes the job worth it.

Thank you for your time, Lynda and Happy Customer Service Week!

Lynda: Thanks!