I love my job but

[U2Girl1978]

I really feel I don't do a good job. I was told today that my attitude towards customers/patients is not up to par and needs to get better. I tend to get annoyed easily towards people. I try not to let this happen but it does. Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with customers in a better way? In person and on the phone?

My job is starting to go towards the Disney way of dealing with customers.

 

[Sicy]

I am the worst. I've been at my job for 7 years and just the fact that I am still answering the damn phone puts me in a bitter mood. I have no patience whatsoever and if people are rude to me I will not kiss their ass. I refuse. Good thing I have the best boss ever or I'd be fired by now

I guess I am not the right person to give you advice haha.

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

What's the Disney way of dealing with customers?

 

[Schmeg]

^I was wondering that too.

There are a lot of people who are, unfortunately, rude and annoying. They ask you questions you've answered 1000 times already that week, but to them it's the first time they'll hear the answer (ok, or maybe the 1000th time, but maybe this time they'll actually pay attention to the answer). I'm assuming you're in a medical position...they might be concerned about their health, or the health of a loved one. What if you told yourself every day it's not YOU they are upset with, but what is going on in their lives at that time? Everyone has a story, and everyone deserves a little compassion. I also think everyone in a customer service position deserves a smile and a thank you as well, but unfortunately people are not always like this...sometimes I try to do or say something to get a smile out of someone like this. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but if it does it makes it easier the next time.

Good luck!

 

[Lila64]

I get customers all the time that make me want to cringe, but you grin and bear it. Some people are better at "customer service" than others, and some are just not meant to deal with people, meaning shouldn't be doing it. I used to have to do it face to face, but now it's just thru the phone/web. Still tough. No advice I guess - gee that was a lot of help. Perhaps think of it as 'treat others as you would like to be treated'. And take deep breaths...

ETA: Just had one of those customers call me who irritates the out of me. Breathe Lila, just breathe.... What a way to start my Monday morning!

 

[WildHoneyAlways]

^I was wondering that too.

There are a lot of people who are, unfortunately, rude and annoying. They ask you questions you've answered 1000 times already that week, but to them it's the first time they'll hear the answer (ok, or maybe the 1000th time, but maybe this time they'll actually pay attention to the answer).

Hahaha, I can relate to that.

I've always had jobs that involved customer service. I think some people are just better suited than others. Maybe the new system will give you ideas on how to deal with customers. My rule is don't let them see me get annoyed.

Yeah, I'm no help I guess. sorry.

 

[U2Girl1978]

What's the Disney way of dealing with customers?

Honestly, I don't know. I have to find out from someone.

 

[daafish]

Sometimes the beginning of a conversation affects the rest of the conversation. How does your demeanor come across? Think about it for a moment, Do you sound/look like you hate doing customer service? If so, then it will come across that way. Non-verbal communication gives a lot more information then people think. And others may respond in a similar fashion. Sometimes simple pleasantries, like a "how are you doing today?" will squelch a sour face. It's all about building an understanding and a connection, often more then just professional. And this can take place within minutes.

You could look into training seminars for customer relations. You'll learn how to communicate, listen, understand and handle people of all attitudes.

Don't know if this is what you were looking for but I know it works for me. My general attitude towards any job is, this is something I have to do so I might as well make the best of it. Your perception and attitude will affect the things around and how you are perceived. Of course, you have your bad days, everyone gets grouchy once in a while, but that's human nature. Take a little time to understand your approach to customer service then seek a method(s) to improve your approach

 

[cell]

hm.

i work for disney. but i never went "disney" on them. i've never heard that term before.

usually, i try to keep a smile on my face when i talk to guests over the phone. its not the same as dealing with them in person, but they sure know when we're not in our best moods.

let me tell you a story about a guest that called....

this lady was a travel agent wanting to book a room for the disneyland hotel. she was scattered. coudlnt give me the right dates or the right amount of people in her room. for 5 to 10 minutes the conversation i had with this travel agent was getting me mad. there was no correct info that she was giving me. then i heard her other phone ring on the other line. all of a sudden her mood changed from scattered, nonresponsive to excited. she begged me to hold for a minute while she answered the phone call. i told her i would hold. i seriously wanted to end the call tho.

she then comes back to my line and she was so excited. she was shouting to me, I HAVE THE BEST NEWS! I HAVE NO CANCER IN MY BODY! THEY TESTED ME, AND THEY FOUND NOTHING! I AM FREE!

then i felt like shit. i felt priveleged that she shared this awesome news with me. it taught me to be more patient. unfortunately, there are days we feel like we're being stepped on by people. but at our jobs, it is about the customers. thats what we're paid to do. its certainly taught me to be more patient and more understanding even if we have a customer who's not our ideal person to deal with. nobody's perfect.

together that lady and i celebrated her great news for a mere 3 minutes. and to think i was mad AT HER.

 

[Carek1230]

I've worked with customers most of my career and as much as they can piss you off or dictate your moods, it's always best to treat them with dignity and respect even when they ask annoying questions and give you attitude. Sometimes when you take a deep breathe and take a step back and get even NICER they back off. Like Icelle said, if you are smiling when you talk then that will shine through in your voice and demeanor. If you are frowning and in a general bad mood, that's going to come across. I've gone to seminars about customer service and dealing with people on the phone and they always say to have a mirror handy......look at yourself in the mirror as you talk. What you see is what they get.

I always find a way to use the caller's name and make the conversation personal by referring to them by name. My customers like that. Even if it is toward the end of the conversation and all I have the opportunity to say is "Well it was really good hearing from you again, Gerry, take care and have a nice day". Seriously that makes a difference. And repeat details to them so they know you got things right and are following the conversation. After you hang up the phone you can turn the smile upside down and kick the dog or yell "WHAT AN IDIOT!".....make sure the phone line's completely disconnected tho!!!

Customer Service is not an easy job, and it is not one that everyone can pull off.

 

[Lila64]

After you hang up the phone you can turn the smile upside down and kick the dog or yell "WHAT AN IDIOT!".....make sure the phone line's completely disconnected tho!!!

Customer Service is not an easy job, and it is not one that everyone can pull off.

Yes, I can curse freely once the call is over

 

[U2Girl1978]

hm.

i work for disney. but i never went "disney" on them. i've never heard that term before.

usually, i try to keep a smile on my face when i talk to guests over the phone. its not the same as dealing with them in person, but they sure know when we're not in our best moods.

let me tell you a story about a guest that called....

this lady was a travel agent wanting to book a room for the disneyland hotel. she was scattered. coudlnt give me the right dates or the right amount of people in her room. for 5 to 10 minutes the conversation i had with this travel agent was getting me mad. there was no correct info that she was giving me. then i heard her other phone ring on the other line. all of a sudden her mood changed from scattered, nonresponsive to excited. she begged me to hold for a minute while she answered the phone call. i told her i would hold. i seriously wanted to end the call tho.

she then comes back to my line and she was so excited. she was shouting to me, I HAVE THE BEST NEWS! I HAVE NO CANCER IN MY BODY! THEY TESTED ME, AND THEY FOUND NOTHING! I AM FREE!

then i felt like shit. i felt priveleged that she shared this awesome news with me. it taught me to be more patient. unfortunately, there are days we feel like we're being stepped on by people. but at our jobs, it is about the customers. thats what we're paid to do. its certainly taught me to be more patient and more understanding even if we have a customer who's not our ideal person to deal with. nobody's perfect.

together that lady and i celebrated her great news for a mere 3 minutes. and to think i was mad AT HER.

Wow!

 

[Liesje]

A few summer's ago, we had to do this training course called Telephone Doctor. It was a series of dorky DVDs, each between 20-40 mins and each had a certain topic, like an irate customer, or helping people who don't speak English as a first language. At the time, we hated it and thought it was a waste of time, but often I find myself in situations I'm not prepared for and think back "ok, how did Telephone Doctor say to respond in this type of situation?" If you're in a really customer service oriented job, it seems like your supervisors would be willing to give you training opportunities.

I've had people (I hate to say it but usually men, because they don't think a young woman can do my job) walk all over me to the point where I literally have to take a break so I don't burst into tears or break something in frustration. It usually begins with a male faculty member calling and asking to speak to a technician, to which I answer "I'm a technician, my name is Lies, how can I help you?" to which he replies "no, I need to speak to one of those guys..." and it spirals downward from there. I try to keep it in perspective because although you remember the bad customers, for each one of those there's probably five normal customers and maybe one or two really nice ones. Our HelpDesk e-mail account has a shared folder called Warm Fuzzies where we drop all the compliment e-mails we get. I've had people call me a liar and an idiot, but I've also had people send me cookies and candy or try to tip me. It's hard, but try to remember the nice people that are thankful and respectful and be motivated by that, rather than the shitty customers where you could've acted better.

 

[Liesje]

let me tell you a story about a guest that called....

this lady was a travel agent wanting to book a room for the disneyland hotel. she was scattered. coudlnt give me the right dates or the right amount of people in her room. for 5 to 10 minutes the conversation i had with this travel agent was getting me mad. there was no correct info that she was giving me. then i heard her other phone ring on the other line. all of a sudden her mood changed from scattered, nonresponsive to excited. she begged me to hold for a minute while she answered the phone call. i told her i would hold. i seriously wanted to end the call tho.

she then comes back to my line and she was so excited. she was shouting to me, I HAVE THE BEST NEWS! I HAVE NO CANCER IN MY BODY! THEY TESTED ME, AND THEY FOUND NOTHING! I AM FREE!

then i felt like shit. i felt priveleged that she shared this awesome news with me. it taught me to be more patient. unfortunately, there are days we feel like we're being stepped on by people. but at our jobs, it is about the customers. thats what we're paid to do. its certainly taught me to be more patient and more understanding even if we have a customer who's not our ideal person to deal with. nobody's perfect.

together that lady and i celebrated her great news for a mere 3 minutes. and to think i was mad AT HER.

WOW, what a story!

I had a similar experience, but it was a sad one. We had this girl, a freshman student, that kept calling and e-mailing and pestering us about something we really don't support for students. Her computer could not get online and the problem was something hardware related. Of course, each time she calls she gets a different tech on the phone and has to explain everything all over again. To make it worse, she wasn't following our directions or understanding the limits of our support because of liability. So she was mad at us and my co-workers were pissed at her and each conversation or e-mail reply was getting snappier. Finally, we sent her to talk to our supervisor who ended up going out of his way, WAY beyond what we support to help this girl. The reason was, she finally started sobbing on the phone to him because her roommate had attempted suicide, she wasn't from the area, and she was freaking out because she couldn't get her internet to work so she could contact her other friends and parents. Luckily, I was never part of the coversations and e-mails, but I still think of this as a reminder of what could be going on on the other end of the line.

 

[Schmeg]

I've worked with customers most of my career and as much as they can piss you off or dictate your moods,

That's just it- I NEVER let them dictate my mood. If I'm going to be somewhere for 8+ hours of my day, I REFUSE to be cranky. A few grumpy people will NOT ruin my mood. Only ONCE has someone made me cry, but I was emotionally unstable that week for a few reasons and she was the straw that broke the camel's back.

If someone is really rude or irrational, I'll make fun of them with my coworkers for a few minutes after they leave. We laugh, I remain in a good mood. I win, even if they thought they got the last word.

 

[Lila64]

makes you think twice now, huh...

I know if I call for help I try to be polite & diplomatic, but I get frustrated having to pass thru a series of hoops just to get to a live person, and then sometimes you get passed along, in which case you have to repeat your problem/story over and over. Worst part is doing that, and then somehow getting disconnected. So I will admit to being bitchy if I have to call back in those instances. I just hate the phone hoops

 

[nurse chrissi]

I have a couple policies that I've enforced on myself that have made the world of difference. About two years ago I was so horribly burnt out and told I needed to work on being more warm and fuzzy

1. Week vacation every six months. Even if I don't go anywhere, just to get away
2. I TRY to leave work at work and be my own person when I'm away (this was really hard to do). Develop interests outside of work
3. Overtime only every other week if possible
4. Have fun at work - everyday regardless of what is going on (and sometimes because of it) I try and find some humor in what I do. Also try and socialize with your coworkers outside of work if you can
5. Triage - it works in all professions. Help those who need your help the worst first. Then be upfront with those you've made wait that someone else was in worse need then themselves. By doing this you're calling on their compassion for others (I know it sounds like a stretch but it really works)

Understand that people in stressful situations can be irritable, irrational and unrealistic. However, there is never a situation when another individual should treat you as less of a person or in a rude manner. It was really hard to differentiate the difference between people lashing out at the world or directing their anger towards me. The latter should not be tolerated and it is essential that you have a boss you will back you up in those situations

 

[Bono's shades]

makes you think twice now, huh...

I know if I call for help I try to be polite & diplomatic, but I get frustrated having to pass thru a series of hoops just to get to a live person, and then sometimes you get passed along, in which case you have to repeat your problem/story over and over. Worst part is doing that, and then somehow getting disconnected. So I will admit to being bitchy if I have to call back in those instances. I just hate the phone hoops

Where I work we have an absolutely horrible phone system. I had nothing to do with choosing it and if I had my way it would be totally different, but I still have to deal with the frustrated people who get routed to my department even though they are supposed to speak to someone in an entirely different department.

 

[U2Girl1978]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

[Liesje]

Good luck! I think it speaks volumes that 1) you honestly love your job and 2) you're willing to put forth the effort to improve on your weaknesses. That's a head start right there.

I'm so sick of my job right now, I wish I could conjure up your positive attitude. I don't mind the work per se, and I have a great boss and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE working with only men (yes, I LOVE it, there is NO drama, none), but I just feel so worn out after four years of dealing with all these little problems over and over and each customer acting like their job is the most important so I should help them first. I think it's the type of thing that some people like and others just aren't cut out for. I've gotten a great review, but I have the tendency to put on the smiley face, or grin and bear it, as they say. This job just isn't for me in the long run. It's been great technical experience as well as customer service and working with people, but I feel like I'm always out of the loop because I never get to work on any larger projects. I just sit by the phone and computer and tell people how to auto-fill formulas in Excel, reset their forgotten passwords, enter Telecom requests, etc. It's been great, but it's time for me to pack up and move on.

/job rant

I also second Chrissi's suggestions, especially the one about the vacations every once in a while. I'm blessed in that I have a boss who also abides by and encourages this rule.

 

[Carek1230]

I have a couple policies that I've enforced on myself that have made the world of difference. About two years ago I was so horribly burnt out and told I needed to work on being more warm and fuzzy

1. Week vacation every six months. Even if I don't go anywhere, just to get away
2. I TRY to leave work at work and be my own person when I'm away (this was really hard to do). Develop interests outside of work
3. Overtime only every other week if possible
4. Have fun at work - everyday regardless of what is going on (and sometimes because of it) I try and find some humor in what I do. Also try and socialize with your coworkers outside of work if you can
5. Triage - it works in all professions. Help those who need your help the worst first. Then be upfront with those you've made wait that someone else was in worse need then themselves. By doing this you're calling on their compassion for others (I know it sounds like a stretch but it really works)

Understand that people in stressful situations can be irritable, irrational and unrealistic. However, there is never a situation when another individual should treat you as less of a person or in a rude manner. It was really hard to differentiate the difference between people lashing out at the world or directing their anger towards me. The latter should not be tolerated and it is essential that you have a boss you will back you up in those situations

This is excellent advice! Thanks, Chrissi! Now I wish I could get that Hawaii trip booked for December!!

 

[carrieluvv]

dont kick the dog
grab that dogs face and plant a big smooch on its wet nose !