Supervisor Snacks

 Nothing saps your energy like negativity can! Whether caused by outside influences or self-generated, negativity causes stress, both mental and physical. In our world as a customer service representative working in a call center, negativity and stress are sometimes unavoidable. But are we inadvertently adding to those feelings through our own response to them? Are we “snowballing” our feelings? When we build a snowman, we begin with a small, hand-packed snowball and then we roll it in more snow, picking up layers of the white stuff as we go; eventually, we have a huge ball. Negativity can be layered like that; sticking one event or negative thought upon another until all you can “see” are the negative aspects of every situation. Imagine leaving for work and discovering that you have a semi-flat tire. Are you happy because it isn’t entirely flat? Or unhappy because it means a stop at the gas station on your way to work? Positive feelings or negative feelings? You arrive for wor...

    early every Answering Service, Contact Center or Call Center has rules about the use of bad language, foul words, swearing or inappropriate language. For those of us who work in these kinds of customer-oriented businesses the rule is NEVER! And we know it. WE can never overstep the bounds of decency and empathy. WE must have self-control at all times, because we are representing other companies besides our own. But what about the times when the callers we deal with are out of control? That is where our individual company policies come in. Some bosses will take the hard line, absolutely no profanity, etc., agents should simply hang up on the caller. Others will take a softer approach, “if a customer wants to curse, then they should be able to do so.” For some individuals that is their normal manner of speaking, and we need to be able to deal with it. In some cases, you have to take a deep breath and move on. We have callers who are generally disgruntled or angry about a...