What Every Employee Should Know About How to See Customers Problems from Their Creative Side


Customer Service is a blessing and a curse; a blessing to the customer and a curse to you, the employee. At least so it seems. Although as the Customer Service representative for your employer, you are faced with a never-ending barrage of complaints, problems, and questions on a daily basis, the pressure of the job could easily become a source of anger, frustration, and other forms of counter-productive behaviors. You seem to live in a pressure-cooker of stress.

Rather than let the pressure get to you, why not develop attitudes that will help you become more cheerful, positive, and productive?

Did you know that a winning attitude, especially while exposed to stress, actually puts less wear and tear on the body than anger and frustration? And did you know that you chronic anger and frustration could cause you to end up in a hospital bed? And, depending on the severity of the symptoms, could lead to options beyond hospitalization? It could very well lead to imprisonment or interment?

The human mind seems to be like a calculator. Before you can solve a problem with it, it must be cleared of all previous problems. Anger and frustration jam up the mechanism; it short-circuits the whole operation.

It has been proven many times that by a simple change in attitude, in mental outlook, the same amount of time and energy most of us for anger and frustration could be used to solving them.

Creative people look at problems as challenges. They realize that without problems, everything would come to a stop. Problems do to our emotions and psyche what pain does to our body: They keep us moving forward searching for a solution. They are responsible for every forward step we take, collectively and individually.

So, if you want to have a lot more fun and a lot less worry, try the following:

* Put your customers' problems in their true perspective.

* See yourself as a vital part of their problem-solving world, and the world as a part of the universe, and the universe as a part of a great and mysterious living picture.

* See problems in their true light: a temporary inconvenience for the customer and an immense steppingstone to success for you. (You never know where solving someone's problem may take you.)

Every problem has a solution. The customer may not see the immediate solution, but solutions are always available. They may not like the available solution, but in taking time to show you care and are willing to do whatever it takes to satisfy, other options may be explored and utilized.

Think about these the next time you are faced with a problem:

* No problem is permanent.

* Every problem has a solution.

* You have the God-given powers to solve any problem.

* There are probably a number of ways to solve a problem.

* The same kind of problem has been solved a million times before some where around the world.

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.

© Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

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Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and writes articles on his theme: ... helping you maximize your potential. He offers management, marketing, and parenting resources at his Maximizing Your Potential blog.