To succeed, it’s not about how many times you fall, rather, its how many times you get up.
Wila Nailatimate, 44, a global trading quality coordinator at Mindpearl Fiji, is living proof of this ideal.
Ms Nailatimate’s journey in the outsourcing industry began in 2017 after spending five years at home as a housewife.
“When I got my first interview, I was rejected, but then I tried again, and I actually got into Mindpearl,” she said.
“I’ve grown from a compliance officer, into a trainer, quality analyst, and then moved up to trading quality manager. Now, I’m in global training.”
Ms Nailatimate said unlike the majority of those in the workforce, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic actually helped her in a way.
“I think 2020 was a lucky year,” she said.
“It was COVID-19 and while everyone was made redundant, Mindpearl basically offered the workers a pay cut. That was something that saved a lot of our employees.
“When I was an agent, we were looking after Australia and New Zealand, and when the aviation industry got affected really badly during COVID-19, other services at Mindpearl, like the retailers and all the other different clients like the loan industries, actually shot up.
“I was there, and it was just pure luck, I believe.”
Ms Nailatimate hasn’t looked back since and has continued to find opportunities to learn and grow in the field she loves.
With her current role as global trading quality coordinator, she oversees trading and quality processes across four international sites – Lima, Cape Town, Suva and Suriname.
For the mother-of-three, modern customer service extends far beyond transactional interactions and involves cultural adaptation.
This is what she emphasises when dealing with clients from other parts of the globe, including Europe.
Being able to balance her work and life as a mother has been another remarkable aspect of Ms Nailatimate’s journey.
Her eldest daughter is a student at USP and the youngest is in Class Five while her middle child thrives in New Zealand on a rugby scholarship.
It is the flexibility of her job that has helped her maintain a balance between her personal life while excelling in her professional role.
“The good thing about this role is I also get to work from home because it is very flexible,
“It’s the working from home that actually keeps me in this role and not going looking anywhere else.”
At a personal level, she said her work has helped cultivate her patience, a skill she felt was essential in customer service.
“I’m not a very patient person.
“I’m the kind who throws hands first then talks later, so being at Mindpearl has actually taught me a lot.
“When I came in, I was afraid thinking I wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the stuff I’m doing now. But by training and the constant refreshers, you get to learn a lot about patience and how to develop to be a better agent.”
Ms Nailatimate’s advice to those entering the outsourcing and customer service industry is to have a “teachable spirit and be trainable”.
