Does such a job exist? (Networking/relationship building)

[SideWinder]

Following on from my other thread, I have been pondering what to do and next steps.

I receive many compliments throughout my career about my warmth and ability to gain rapport quickly with people so I wanted to explore careers that require that.

I am 33 and my background is niche (E-Com fashion website, operations team) and if I was to try and summarise it would be 10 years of the below. It started junior and then went up a few levels. I am now 'semi senior' in a start-up where I answer the business phone line, solve customer tickets, handle any sales enquiries from businesses with my Director, help to create improvements on our basic repots as it seems like I am the Excel expert (although I am not the best!), reply to reviews and generally any ad hoc tasks that require doing.

- Workflow management
- Working with key stakeholders to communicate requirements
- Arranging and enforcing KPIs
- Process creation and management
- Holding small presentations/walk throughs to external and internal teams (up to 10 people)
- Creating Excel reports with automation that show patterns and trends

- Customer service tickets and phone calls
- Coaching my team on how to reply/phrase tickets
- Resolving complaints/queries/providing feedback to the team

I feel motivated when I am around people so at the moment, although it is a job and certainly a good salary for my role, I need to think about the future and look at other roles at perhaps a larger business.

My initial thought was Project Manager but I have never actually done this before plus zero qualifications. I am also unsure if I would fully enjoy it as I researched this a couple of years ago in-depth. Second idea is CX...I haven't had a CX role and its more about replying to reviews and sorting out complaints. I was able to help the business grow from 4.4 to 4.8 on Trustpilot as an achievement...hardly a 'CX professional' using special software.

I am looking at fashion due to the 10 years at a large fashion retailer so this would be the 'easiest' step so perhaps roles that could be slotted into there?

Please don't say estate agent as this was suggested to me and I can't drive. Sales could be an idea and I did interview within recruitment a few times. I was given feedback that I wasn't pushy enough essentially...so basically not a ****.

Is there something out there that relies on strong people skills?

 

[SideWinder]

• Business Relationship Manager (not that dissimilar to what you are doing, but typically with internal rather than external stakeholders). Not that common a job title however.
• Account Manager / Engagement Manager (may relate to sales but often more about ongoing relationships with key clients instead of just driving new business)
• The top paragraph of reqs could maybe be applicable to a Product Owner.
• Process Analyst - perhaps a bit more junior that the above but you would have transferrable hands-on experience

These sort of roles would typically pay 50%+ more than your current role but you might not be able to jump straight in and potentially have to do more of a sideways move into a more junior equivalent to gain experience.

Thank you for listing these. Customer Success/Account Manager (well, Executive) is a role I had tried for previously however I think my current role would definitely help me get into this. I now have actual sales experience whereas before I didn't.

Product Owner and Process Analyst are new ones so I'll take a look. I am aware of a BRM so will do some more digging there too.

@dowie Hello! Mm it is more semi senior in other parts of the role so guiding the CS team/being someone they can turn to. Another guy is heading up the logistics/order processing part and I am doing the same for front end so customer facing. Some tasks are certainly entry level so its quite a mixture...which I don't like.

Noted on 'Technical Account Manager' too - interesting that it is a hybrid.

Again thank you all for the advice.