Customer Service Tune-Up — Part 3

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3. Taking stock of yourself from a session entitled “Getting an Emergency Attitude Makeover”:

Sometimes the best way to achieve good customer service skills is not to learn how to deal with a customer’s attitude, but how to deal with YOUR OWN attitude.

That being said, think about your worst day at work. You don’t want to be there, you’re tired and frustrated, and if you have to talk to one more angry customer, you’re gonna lose it! In those situations, it is advisable to try your best to keep things in perspective, even when it seems like the hardest thing to do.

Yes, your job is important. Yes, you should never put less than 100% effort into your job. But at the end of the day, you have to realize that it is, in fact, just your job. Thinking about it in that way may help you to sit back, take a few deep breaths, and go on with your duties, knowing that your job does not have to define your life or your identity as a person.

Now, let’s think about motivation, and how it can affect your attitude at work. What motivates you to get through those hard days at work with those oh-so-rude customers? Is it a vision of that paycheck that comes at the end of the week? If so, that’s your first problem.

Too many people see the motivation as a dollar amount on their paycheck, instead of thinking about where the money is actually going in their lives. Most, if not all the money people make, goes towards the priorities in their life — the most common are obviously families and friends. Whether it’s a mortgage to shelter them, insurance payments to keep them safe, the bottom line is it all comes back to them. And THOSE priorities are the things you should be visualizing in your head on the bad days. Seeing money as merely the tool you use to take care of your priorities will, again, help keep things in perspective and help your attitude stay right for good customer service.

Also in terms of visualization, it’s been proven that people do a more efficient job when they equip their workspace with positive images that create positive thoughts. For instance, if you have a degree, certificate, or letter of recommendation, or any other document that you can feel proud of — put it somewhere you can see it! Pictures of loved ones work the same way, helping you feel happiness even in the most stressful hours.

Another way of tackling a difficult day and improving your attitude in the workplace is simply accepting the things that you cannot change, and instead, gearing your efforts towards the things you CAN change. You may not be able to change your compensation because of an unfortunate economy, or change what your job description is. But you can try focusing on marketing yourself, figuring out what you can do to make yourself a better employee, where you can find information about your specific field, and how to educate yourself to get a better handle on the jobs you’re held responsible for.

And when all that doesn’t work to help your attitude, don’t be afraid to just simply take a time-out. Get some fresh air, turn on some music, do what you need to do to relax, if only for a few minutes. It will heighten your ability to work efficiently, and will surely have a positive impact on your attitude.

For more on this topic, see our article Customer Service: Building Bridges Instead of Walls.

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