BARRACKING for Richmond is a test of anyone's faith and resolve, says Denice Pitt, the CEO for outsource services company United Customer Management Solutions.

"You need to have internal fortitude. I've spent 40 years barracking for Richmond. If you feel passionate, it doesn't matter if you're not winning, it's the enjoyment."

It was this passion and internal fortitude that enabled Ms Pitt, 43, to rise to the heights of CEO from humble beginnings. She came from a passionate working-class family.

"Do it well, or don't bother. We weren't well off. My mother was a stay-at-home mum, and my father was a production manager in a factory. We lived from pay to pay. They struggled; they made a sacrifice to send me to a Catholic school. I loved school and had a strong desire to get ahead and make a difference. My parents saw that and supported it."

So now Ms Pitt tries to spot the talent and be a mentor to young people coming up through the ranks and help bring them to the next level.

Her first big break to the next level was in Optus customer service during the launch of its services in Melbourne in 1993. Thrown in the deep end, she says, "I was really testing areas I never experienced. I just had to do it. I learnt that there is a lot you can do if you try."

The Optus launch taught Ms Pitt how to motivate people, especially when they don't have enough information to do their job properly. In the lead-up to the launch there was not enough information about the products, "but I had to give anxious staff confidence that they could get over that hurdle. Often the specific product information would come within 24 hours of go-live deadlines. You have to be able to deal with ambiguity and trust that (the marketing department) will deliver on time.

"A lot of motivating people and giving them confidence is communication and talking from your heart, with passion. Talking about what you think the culture should be and why you think it is important. I talked about why it was important for us to trust that the people in the marketing team would deliver the information. You have to trust that people will come through. You can't expect to have it in a neat pile before you start."

Optus was a great experience for Ms Pitt, but in the late '90s she joined United Customer Management Solutions to become more involved in all aspects of customer service. "If I stayed in a big blue chip, I could progress up, but it would be in a narrow (field). I needed to go out and get the breadth (of experience). At Optus it was frustrating that I couldn't influence the whole customer experience process."

The best advice Ms Pitt can offer to organisations wanting to strive for excellent customer service is "to ensure that customer service is a philosophy through all departments and not just the responsibility of one area".

In business, things will not always go according to plan. Ms Pitt advises never to panic, but to see where the change takes you. "I was an expert on customer contact centre operation," but when she returned to work at UCMS after maternity leave, the restructure meant she was offered a different role.

"They had just taken away the very thing I was good at. (The role) was far more strategic, I didn't have to be a subject-matter expert and I really loved it. A career that takes a step to the left is often an opportunity to expand your skill set and view of the organisation."

The best advice Ms Pitt ever received was to do further study, so she completed a masters in business management from RMIT. "It's not the tick in the box, but a fantastic framework for business and management to help you get (ahead)."

She studied part-time, worked full-time and had a child but says she was focused on having a career: "There is no deviation, no wavering."

Just like barracking for Richmond.

NEXT LESSONS

:: Be passionate - do it well or don't bother.

:: Make sure that customer service is a philosophy through all departments.

:: Studying provides a great framework for business and management.

:: Be focused on what you want to do - don't deviate, don't waver.