In the world of creative or knowledge-based job descriptions, there can be the odd demand that stands out or seems overly niche. But when it comes to customer experience or support, things can take a turn for the unusual and bizarre, as we noticed reading about an applicant who lacked water skiing experience for a boat sales role.
That got us thinking about the people who have a CX role across submarines, breathable mountain air-in-a-can, nuclear power stations and other out-there vocations. All of which must have some pretty specific demands. So, to kick off your weekend, here are the five weirdest, most niche and bizarre requirements in a CX role that could become commonplace, or will be vital that one magical day.
Ability to perform CX in zero-gravity environments
Yes, there are plenty of jobs in zero-g and roles for customer experience operators supporting future astronauts. While that might sound cool, your feet will likely stay firmly on the ground. However, as astronauts, space tourists, micro-factories and science experiments are regularly spacebound, the operators will need the same help and support as their earthbound equivalents. That requires a deep understanding of physics, multiple sciences and the human condition when shaken about in zero-G.
When your customer is a sentient AI
File this away as one for tomorrow. Sooner or later, the huge number of sentient AI machines and services out there will need human help with some of life’s bigger queries or technical problems. And the CX or support roles for these “geniuses” will need to be able to phrase suggestions and solutions just as carefully as today’s AI prompt writers do. Or, if an AI system leaves a customer or company in a mess, it will be up to a particular breed of operator to figure out how to undo the damage.
A Morse code expert for emergency customer support
Morse code often pops up in sci-fi and drama shows as a way to communicate in a crisis. But imagine being in a support role where limited communications means you have to do it for real. Some emergency customer support systems, especially naval-related, could realistically expect an employee to understand Morse as a fallback when voice or other communications modes aren’t an option. If nothing else, knowing Morse code is useful when marketers want to convey hidden messages.
Interpreting dreams for customers
Yes, a dream interpreter is a real skill. In the CX arena, it could be used as a way to listen to customers’ literal or metaphorical dreams, such as their wants or goals as part of product or service interactions. Judging by the huge number of AIs offering to interpret our dreams, it is a common enough consumer question, so having a team member who can offer some empathy, and generate insights from dreams is a potentially useful aspect.
Interpretive dance as part of the customer or employee experience
From grand retail openings to trade shows, sports events to creative arts sponsorship, there’s more dance moves going on in business than you might expect. While large brands have a host of choreographers, instructors and talented dance teams on standby, for most marketing and customer-facing businesses, making a balletic or street dance entrance is left to the skills of an in-house CX member. While that sounds like a bad episode of The Apprentice, we’re sure seasoned dancers of all types have made a good impression, and for the employee experience, dancing in-house is proven to be a winner, all it needs is someone to show others the Tango basics.
For any business looking to hire someone with a highly-niche expertise, do make sure you put it up front in the career description!