Put Your Blinders On

For years people who raise and train racehorses have put “blinders” on their best thoroughbreds to help keep them from being distracted by what is going on around them.  You see, they want to WIN the race and blinders help keep the horse focused on the goal – crossing the finish line in perfect form.

That is what we want, that is what our clients want.  We all want each message to be completed with perfect form.

It is totally understandable that when call volume escalates some of our agents – especially our newer agents – begin to be distracted by the chaos around them.  They feel the pressure of more calls coming in – and lose their focus – and their attention to the task at hand.

Put your mental blinders on when things get hectic.  If you are taking a message concentrate on what is being said by the caller.  Complete every prompt, ask the right questions, and make sure you have clearly documented the message for the client and for the dispatcher!

If you are dispatching, take time to read the instructions – make sure you are doing all the steps in the proper order.  And then deliver the message safely and accurately to our client.  When we are all in the same office together the noise and pressure and frenzy are all too apparent.  When you are working remotely it’s a whole lot easier to concentrate on the task at hand, especially if you have followed the rules and have an isolated workspace where you are not able to overhear chaos in your own home. 

Even when you are in your own world you can still see that there are more calls and thus you will experience increased pressure.  Multitasking is NOT really efficient; if you can avoid the temptation, if you keep your blinders on and focus ONLY on the job you are doing for one client at a time, you’ll do well. 

Our responsibility is to complete each message as perfectly as we possibly can for the client whose phones you are answering at that exact moment.  To make mistakes because you are not paying attention to what you are doing is an injustice to all involved.

Our industry is blessed with caring, compassionate agents and employees who strive to provide exemplary very best service.  So, don’t let yourself be distracted.  Just do your very best with every message you take. 

 

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