Acrune2010-05-31 19:04:49
QUOTE (Xavius @ May 31 2010, 02:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I took it personally, then fixed the problem. I think it made me a better employee than the jaded ones. It's not like you can do your job effectively if you ignore emotional cues.
If people are pissed at your employer and take it out on you, and you take that personally, then you're a fool. If people are pissed at you, and you're not doing your best, chances are you already knew that and elected to not do your best, so customers being jerks isn't going to change anything. If you are doing your best, then no reason to get upset because there will be no benefit to anyone. No matter how you look at it, I fail to see why taking a rude customer's crap personally is beneficial.
If you notice a trend in customers' bitching and its within your power to fix it, sure, go ahead, but thats still no reason to take things personally and get upset. Emotion should always stay out of the workplace, imo.
Xavius2010-05-31 19:20:37
It's very rare that people are spontaneously rude. If people are angry at my employer, then in a sense, they are angry at me. My "employer" is a faceless collection of policies, and the customer service people are there to give it a face. I can understand a different approach if you're something like the return clerk at a Wal-Mart that only tangentially gets the "customer service" title, but when you're dealing with actual problems that you have actual authority over, then yeah, it's my problem.
Also, if you're too dismissive of the emotion, you're doing a disservice to your employer. My last two customer service jobs were the flooring department of a major home furnishings store, and Boeing's HR department. We're talking about emotionally charged things anyways. Floor coverings aren't disposable goods, and they're usually replaced around life's milestones (holiday family reunion, moving, last treat to yourself before you die, etc). When it goes poorly, a person's home is torn up, nigh-unlivable, and they're stuck that way for weeks usually. They have an emotional response to that! They can be wildly angry or crying or stubborn to the idea of help from me as a representative of the company that provided the bad goods or services. That's not even angry at my employer, but it's still anger. The anger needs to be dealt with for any good feelings to be left with the customer at the end.
It wasn't any different with the HR work. My last position there was with the "life events" team, which basically means people who just lost something dear to them (employee/retiree deaths and layoffs primarily, with a smattering of marriages, divorces, and pregnancies). Again, emotional responses! Dealing with the emotional response is every bit as important as getting them through the system. The reality is that it's a sterile collection of forms, but they wouldn't have come to me if they were ok with just the forms and the online information. The human face matters.
I don't think it's that different for any real service position. If you have customers, and you have authority over their experience, the emotions matter. You need to internalize them and react to them to provide good service. Yes, it's not often about you the individual, but it is about something in your purview. If it wasn't, why bother with you at all?
Also, if you're too dismissive of the emotion, you're doing a disservice to your employer. My last two customer service jobs were the flooring department of a major home furnishings store, and Boeing's HR department. We're talking about emotionally charged things anyways. Floor coverings aren't disposable goods, and they're usually replaced around life's milestones (holiday family reunion, moving, last treat to yourself before you die, etc). When it goes poorly, a person's home is torn up, nigh-unlivable, and they're stuck that way for weeks usually. They have an emotional response to that! They can be wildly angry or crying or stubborn to the idea of help from me as a representative of the company that provided the bad goods or services. That's not even angry at my employer, but it's still anger. The anger needs to be dealt with for any good feelings to be left with the customer at the end.
It wasn't any different with the HR work. My last position there was with the "life events" team, which basically means people who just lost something dear to them (employee/retiree deaths and layoffs primarily, with a smattering of marriages, divorces, and pregnancies). Again, emotional responses! Dealing with the emotional response is every bit as important as getting them through the system. The reality is that it's a sterile collection of forms, but they wouldn't have come to me if they were ok with just the forms and the online information. The human face matters.
I don't think it's that different for any real service position. If you have customers, and you have authority over their experience, the emotions matter. You need to internalize them and react to them to provide good service. Yes, it's not often about you the individual, but it is about something in your purview. If it wasn't, why bother with you at all?
Acrune2010-05-31 19:40:43
QUOTE (Xavius @ May 31 2010, 03:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I don't think it's that different for any real service position. If you have customers, and you have authority over their experience, the emotions matter. You need to internalize them and react to them to provide good service. Yes, it's not often about you the individual, but it is about something in your purview. If it wasn't, why bother with you at all?
Sure, the customer has emotions, that can't be helped. In my experience in working with customers, I was much more able to avoid feeding the negative emotions and encourage the positive ones if I avoid emotions myself. I never had authority in these jobs (in fact, I avoided it, because they were short term jobs and the small- or non-existent in one case- pay bump wasn't worth the extra work to me), but I fail to think of a situation where my feeling emotions improves my performance. If I can fix it, I do, if I can't, why stress what can't be done?
Unknown2010-05-31 19:55:39
I've been waiting for three hours now to get in the shower. People keep jumping in before I can! I need to wash my hair you jerks!
Xavius2010-05-31 20:32:52
QUOTE (Acrune @ May 31 2010, 02:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Sure, the customer has emotions, that can't be helped. In my experience in working with customers, I was much more able to avoid feeding the negative emotions and encourage the positive ones if I avoid emotions myself. I never had authority in these jobs (in fact, I avoided it, because they were short term jobs and the small- or non-existent in one case- pay bump wasn't worth the extra work to me), but I fail to think of a situation where my feeling emotions improves my performance. If I can fix it, I do, if I can't, why stress what can't be done?
I would concede that if you have more in common with the Wal-Mart return clerk than an actual service position, emotionless would be the way to go. It doesn't work effectively beyond that, though. I avoided a claim with a hug and biology shop talk (and saved my employer about $4,000). I convinced a guy not to go to our competitors after a bad experience by flirting back when he was flirting with me (nearly $20,000 in sales there -- not sure if that one was worth the blow to my sanity in the end). We had a customer who was very, very rich and very, very picky and somewhat willing to lie to get his way -- smoothed that over without giving a single price adjustment mostly by being his friend (potential savings of up to ~$200,000 -- hard to estimate that one). Not only does the issue get resolved, but it often gets people to open up, and then you can address the real issue, which isn't always the same as the issue that they come to you with. That's better than addressing the superficial issue.
It does mean more personal involvement, but I don't think that's bad. Yes, it sucks to get yelled at, but it's great to see them smile, apologize, and be happy to see you later on. I remember the names and faces of all the people connected to the stories above. I'm sure better for it, and I like to think that they are too. That's not even touching the HR work, where I'm 100% positive I made lives better, and a lot of that meant leaving yourself vulnerable for a moment of frustration before making everything better.
Lillie2010-05-31 21:05:11
Oglaf is 404'ing.
...At 4:04. Hm.
...At 4:04. Hm.
Unknown2010-05-31 21:14:17
Sylphas2010-05-31 21:52:22
Lillie2010-05-31 21:58:47
Rant: Lovingly rendered pictures of cocks.
Razenth2010-05-31 22:03:16
ongaku2010-06-01 04:48:16
I just found out I've been spelling my alias at work wrong for like a month or so now. I had to change my signatures in like 20 different places. ><
Everiine2010-06-01 21:18:18
I can't get internet installed for another week... holy crap.
Xavius2010-06-02 01:44:35
Acrune2010-06-02 01:47:09
Yeah, I've heard about that, its crazy.
Harkux2010-06-02 01:48:02
Aoife2010-06-02 02:27:27
The central air system at work broke.
It was actually hotter inside - at 90 degrees Fahrenheit - than outside. It is really very difficult to form thoughts or do anything of substance in a hot and extremely humid area
It was actually hotter inside - at 90 degrees Fahrenheit - than outside. It is really very difficult to form thoughts or do anything of substance in a hot and extremely humid area
Sylphas2010-06-02 03:19:22
ongaku2010-06-02 03:48:11
QUOTE (Xavius @ Jun 1 2010, 08:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
That gives me general dissatisfaction about the state of humanity.
Noola2010-06-02 03:51:53
Yeah, there's no lemonade for that.
Reiha2010-06-02 04:38:34
That's almost as sad as the story about the parents who got 2 years for starving their baby to death as they raised an online baby.