by Adrian Owens

Created on: May 05, 2010

Early in life I always felt deep satisfaction when helping people, gravitating to customer service related jobs since my youth. Having direct contact with people, seeing their satisfaction with the job I did or helping them solve a concern was very gratifying to me.  After attending college for two years, majoring in English, I decided college was not for me and I enrolled in a school for Cosmetology. This allowed me a creative outlet while instilling in me how important it is to provide excellent customer service.

Once you begin a career in Cosmetology venturing into diverse vocations that include customer service is easy. One quickly learns a hairstylist has to really listen to what the customer is saying and at times discern the needs of the customer. My clientele was mostly women from whom I gained a wealth of experience. Situations where the customer was not entirely satisfied or happy with the outcome of a process allowed me to practice using the knowledge of customer service I had acquired. Developing skills in handling dissatisfied and even irate customers while resolving their concerns in the salon, on the retail floor, and later, at the airport ticket counter became invaluable.

Customer service experience provided the foundation needed to help me land a job as an Assistant Head Cashier for a large computer retailer. Displaying tact and professionalism, qualities learned from my days as a hair stylist, aided me to successfully assist the most agitated of customers. Coupled with my love of travel and experience in retail, customer service also opened up the opportunity to allow me to qualify to work for a Fortune 500 airline as a supervisor and, after several years of employment, the knowledge needed to hold the position as head of the Customer Relations Department for a charter airline.

I would have never imagined 30 years ago I would have a career in the airline industry being responsible for the company’s compliance to federal regulations and satisfaction of our customers. I love my job because it affords me the opportunity to travel and interface with various Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation offices. I am now in a position to share my time tested experience and knowledge in customer service with my staff and coworkers. By instructing them of the importance of educating our customers regarding airline travel, new regulations, and how to accommodate the needs of our customers brings me personal satisfaction. 

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