Contact Center Manager Who Believes in His Team and Pushes for User Satisfaction

The “Professionals” series showcases talented experts who support PayPay Group’s operations.
We interviewed Tsuyoshi Naruse, the manager of the contact center, which is the face of PayPay Card. We discussed the nature of his work and job satisfaction.

Drawn to the corporate culture that takes a one-team approach to improvement

Tell us about your background and why you joined PayPay Card

After 10 years in the workforce, I began to think about my future career and decided that I wanted to work in customer service, a field that I’m good at. That’s when I got a referral from a former colleague who worked at PayPay Card.

I was confident that I could contribute to the company as the position was looking for someone who could hit the ground running in the customer service department. The company had a proper employee training program in place, so I decided to take the leap.

What are the strengths of PayPay Card?

I feel that the company provides an environment where we are expected to achieve results as one team beyond the constraints of teams and departments.

For example, at the contact center, we ask the operators directly about customer feedback every day, make an internal report the next day, and discuss improvement plans. From there, we work across teams and organizations throughout the company to make immediate enhancements, such as adding FAQs or revamping the systems. I think we are second to none in terms of our efforts to upgrade on a daily basis.

Thorough quality control in pursuit of user satisfaction

Tell us about your work and mission

Hundreds of operators work at the contact center and respond to around 5,000 inquiries a day. Operator work is outsourced, but the in-house staff are in charge of contact center operations, such as coordinating with vendors to set up a response system and streamlining manuals. The staff’s main tasks are to check the content of inquiries operators handle and other administrative work, plus to perform quality control and make operational improvements.

Our mission at the contact center is to aim to be the best in terms of quality while reducing the number of inquiries by elevating the work and service. We are working on these two missions in parallel, but since we are in a company where new services are constantly created, our first priority as a contact center is to focus on quality. We want to ensure our customers are satisfied at the end of their call.

For example, we tend to receive anxious calls from customers who are not used to having credit cards, so we try to add a reassuring word or two by anticipating the next thing that might worry the customer.

What motivates you at work?

Being in direct contact with the customers’ feedback, for sure. Customers often say thanks, but they also give you insights that are unique to the users’ perspective; something that we, as the service provider, wouldn’t have noticed. I want to value these hints for improvement so that we can provide better products and services for our customers.

On a more personal note, the call center is where I feel most at home, my “hometown,” if you will. I was a mid-career employee who didn’t know my way around when I joined the call center. It was my colleagues at that time who nurtured me into who I am today. So if someone new joins my cherished “hometown,” I’m more than happy to welcome them with open arms and offer help when they’re in need. These are the thoughts I carry with me as I work. It would make me happy to know that even one person thinks of me as someone they’d like to continue working with.

Please tell us about a challenging experience you had

The release of the new Gold Card was difficult. As a project member, I spent several months developing internal manuals and training programs. We also created a mock test to further improve response quality. We had the operators run it as many times as they could until they scored a 100, so that we could be at our best and ready to go on the day of release.

Tell us about the team members and the atmosphere

Half of the operators are veterans with more than three years of experience, and the other half have been with the company for less than three years. We basically have the staff paired up and repeat the process of learning and putting into practice, striking a good balance between work and training.

The work environment requires us to deliver results as a team, so daily communication is important to us. People can talk regardless of their position, job title, or work history, and we try to create a friendly atmosphere where people can freely chat and work with a smile.

Aiming for No. 1 with a team that brings out more than 100%

Tell us what you hope to accomplish in the future

Our ultimate goal as a contact center is to provide a service that will not cause any problems for our customers so that the number of inquiries can be as close to zero as possible. The fact that we receive about 5,000 inquiries a day proves that there are points that are difficult to understand or cause concern, so we plan to focus on improving our services based on customer feedback.

As for me personally, I’ve been certified as a training manager, something only a few people in the company have. So I hope to contribute to internal training as well. I believe my character traits of enjoying communication and wanting to contribute to the team will be put to good use.

What is PayPay Card like for you?

This is a company that lifts me to further heights.
The company is fast-paced and aims to be No. 1, so I can work harder than I thought I could, and the company draws more potential out of me than I thought I had.

What type of person would shine at PayPay card?

I have the impression that people who can communicate smoothly with others, not only in the contact center, succeed in the company. No job can be completed by one person, and in the process of finding new issues and making improvements every day, you cannot accomplish your tasks without communicating well with others.

Work is a team effort, so we would love to work with someone who is willing to support others and achieve big goals as a team instead of aiming to score a hundred as an individual.

*The recruitment status is current at the time of the interview.

Special Thanks: Tsuyoshi Naruse / Editor: Moe / Author: PayPay Inside-Out Editorial Team / Photographer: Tak
*Employees’ affiliations are as of the time of the interview.