{"id":31601,"date":"2017-10-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/guest-blog-4-tricks-for-keeping-your-cool-in-tricky-service-situations\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T11:25:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:25:22","slug":"guest-blog-4-tricks-keeping-cool-tricky-service-situations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-experience\/guest-blog-4-tricks-keeping-cool-tricky-service-situations\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blog: 4 Tricks for Keeping Your Cool in Tricky Service Situations"},"content":{"rendered":"This week we feature an article by Pascal van Opzeeland that discusses how to handle difficult customers.\u00a0Most of the time we encounter tricky service\u00a0situations, we want to resolve them and restore the customer\u2019s\u00a0confidence\u00a0in doing business with us. \u2013\u00a0Shep Hyken<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nWhen you’re working in customer service, difficult customers are a part of your job. I’m not just talking about the occasional <\/strong>angry customer<\/strong>. Some customers will show racism, sexism, others might even try to hit on you.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/strong>My colleague Sven covered these challenges in “The 7 Hardest Customer Service Scenarios Without Easy Answers<\/a>.” But how do you keep your professional cool in such situations? Here are four mind tricks that can help you out.\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Circles of Control <\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nThis tip originates from stoicism, the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded in Athens that flourished throughout the classical world until the 3rd century AD. These days it’s popular among all ranges of high performers \u2013 top athletes, Hollywood actors, Silicon Valley CEOs, etc.\r\n\r\n[Stoicism] helps us overcome destructive emotions and act on what can be acted upon. […] it\u2019s built for action, not endless debate. \u2013 <\/em>Ryan Holiday<\/em><\/a>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s so popular because it\u2019s easily applicable in high-stress environments. More than a grand philosophy, stoicism is a set of reminders we can hold on to throughout difficult situations \u2013 like when a customer is yelling at you. It’s a step-by-step system for overcoming fear and doubt<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe circles of control form an important insight of stoicism. We can only control our thoughts and our actions (internal circle). All else is outside of our control. Yet we all worry about events outside of our control (external circle). Traffic, our health, the mood of our spouse, the weather.\r\n\r\n\"Tricky\r\n\r\nThe Stoics argue that you should only focus your attention on what’s inside of your control<\/em>. How a customer treats you is outside of your control. All that matters is how you respond.\r\n\r\nWhen you’re thrown into an intense customer encounter, remind yourself of these circles of control. Realize that you can only pull the levers present within your circle; don’t worry about what’s outside.\r\n\r\nIt takes some practice to reach this mindset, but once you have, you’ll feel peace and tranquility throughout your workday. If you wish to dive deeper into stoicism, I recommend the books The Daily Stoic<\/em><\/a> and The Obstacle is the Way<\/em><\/a>.\r\n
      \r\n \t
    1. Mindfulness<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nFrom ancient Greece, we hop over to ancient India, the birthground of Buddhism and mindfulness.\r\n\r\nYou can find plenty of similarities<\/a> between Stoicism and Buddhism. The latter is based on the insight that all suffering in the world derives from our desires<\/em>.\r\n\r\nWhen experiencing pain, we want it to stop; when experiencing pleasure, we want it to last. When we’re dealing with an angry customer in the chat, we stress about solving the issue; when we’re dealing with a happy customer, we hope she’ll leave us a good rating. The problem isn’t the customer; the problem is our desire for a specific outcome.\r\n\r\nInstead, mindfulness urges us to let go of our desires and focus on the present moment. When you pick up the phone to a shouting customer, let go of the outcome. Of course, you’ll do your best to resolve the issue, but there’s no reason to stress about it.\r\n\r\nNotice that the stress you\u2019re feeling is nothing more than internal chemical processes. It’s not the shouting customer that makes you angry. It’s your internal processes that react to that customer. Pay attention, and you\u2019ll notice them flow away.\r\n\r\nMindfulness is highly trainable through meditation practice. Headspace<\/a> is a free and easy guided meditation app to get started.\r\n
        \r\n \t
      1. Imagined reality<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nImagine you’re driving on the highway and a black SUV speeds past you far above the speed limit. A hot wave of anger rushes through your body. “Madman…”\r\n\r\nBut what if that guy was speeding to the hospital, with his highly pregnant girlfriend in the back seat? Would that thought cool you down? It probably would.\r\n\r\nOur imagination is a powerful ally for controlling our emotions. When a customer shouts at you, try imagining she’s had a tough day, a tough week \u2013 a tough life, even. Imagine they’re dealing with a personal tragedy, and their outburst is a result of their stress. You will notice that this puts you in the right mental state for dealing with the situation.\r\n
          \r\n \t
        1. Breathing techniques<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nResearch<\/a> has long shown the positive effect of breathing exercises on our stress levels. Breathing can be considered the key to our mind<\/em>, as it has a direct effect on the overall activity level of the brain<\/a>. Breathing techniques can help you deal with stress, anxiety, insomnia, or tiredness.\r\n\r\nYou can find plenty of different techniques<\/a> online. In the context of customer service, I’d recommend simply remembering to make long, slow breaths during stressful encounters. Once the encounter is over, try the 4-7-8 technique<\/a>:\r\n