Bilqees Essop, a Contact Centre Supervisor at the City of Cape Town’s Customer Relations Department, has turned her passion for people into a career. Bilqees has been a supervisor for seven months now and loves to come up with new and innovative ideas to resolve queries and exceed customers’ service expectations. Read more below:

Bilqees lives in Goodwood with her five-year-old son. Her career with the City started in 2013 after she quit a permanent job as a recruitment specialist for an 18-month Expanded Public Works Programme learnership. That opportunity was a stepping stone to greater heights within the City, an organisation she saw as her future employer.

Bilqees has worked her way up. She started off as a contact centre agent, was later promoted to a Team Leader position, and is now a supervisor.

Outside of work, Bilqees is a founder of a female fitness and wellness club, called Femme Fit Squad.

Being able to resolve a customer complaint and hearing their gratitude or relief on the other side of an email or phone call is extremely satisfying. Making someone’s life easier is very rewarding. As women, we are required to be many things: mothers, daughters, wives, employees, finance managers, guidance counsellors and doctors to name but a few. In all of that, we must have insurmountable faith that we can achieve what we want out of life, and we will. I live by these words: ‘Be disciplined enough to remain consistent and you will achieve your goal’,’ said Bilqees.

‘Bilqees is clearly a woman of strength and courage and her achievements will inspire others. One of our objectives is committing to excellence in customer service and it is heart-warming to see an employee who is living this out. Bilqees is also practising the Batho Pele principles which speak to providing good customer service to the users of government services. As an Opportunity City, we strive to give equal opportunities to all employees. Bilqees’s career span demonstrates a City has creates a culture where all talent can thrive. With her positive attitude there are no limits to what she can achieve,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Sharon Cottle.

Source: City Of Cape Town