In the field of customer service, you’re witness to the best and worst in people. Unfortunately, irritable clients are part and parcel with the job, and while there may be no escaping it, a number of customer service strategies exist to help you cope with on-the-job stress. With an arsenal of customer service tips at your disposal, you’ll experience better employee satisfaction as you deliver customer satisfaction.
Reducing Stress on the Job
Stress manifests in many forms, from abusive customers and coworkers to personal issues and workplace conflicts. The most important customer-service tip you should observe is to satisfy your basic needs, preferably before you even step into the office. Rejuvenate your body by eating a full meal for breakfast and start off the day with your favorite routine for fitness or relaxation. When you’re not working, find a hobby that offers a mental and physical reprieve from the rigors of customer service. Personal happiness can lift your mood and enhance focus in a professional setting.
Improving customer service is a primary concern for many companies, which means service employees need to be at their very best when working. Sometimes, your very best needs the push of a productive environment. One customer-service tip is to create a stress-free workspace by organizing your desk, sticking to a schedule, and distancing yourself from workplace gossip. Without these unnecessary distractions, you’ll have more resources, such as time and energy, to devote to your customers, as Mary Nestor-Harper points out in a recent Beyond.com article.
Prepare for Stress in Customer Service
Whether your job requires you to communicate with customers in person or through a device, preparation is essential for dealing with work stress. Difficult customer interactions often share the same qualities, and by knowing how to defuse these situations before they gain steam, you can curtail your stress. Other customer service tips advise you to maintain a positive attitude and to approach each interaction individually and not in the context of an ongoing problem. They also stress the importance of remaining emotionally detached while dedicated to the customer at hand.
In the end, all the customer service strategies in the world can’t help resolve a particularly volatile situation. In these instances, the best customer service tip is to walk away from the problem and consult reliable coworkers and ask for their assistance.
A Cautionary Tale
Emily Tan’s Campaign Asia report, “How Do You Fix Calling Your Customer a “B*tch” on Facebook,” serves as a cautionary tale on how not to approach a customer. According to the story, a Malaysia patisserie experienced a service meltdown in which a customer posted a complaint on the shop’s Facebook page and was met with a less than favorable reaction from shop employees.
The bakery’s reputation and business most certainly suffered after this public display and would have benefited from the customer service tips discussed here. And while it’s anyone’s guess as to what prompted the unfortunate outburst, the incident is a reminder of the value of tempering stressful situations and improving customer service.
About the Author
Nancy Anderson is the communities and article editor for Beyond.com. Nancy has 10 years experience in the online job search business with Beyond. Nancy’s team produces dozens of articles every month for top internet sites. Follow Nancy and the Beyond team on https://twitter.com/BeyondJobs.