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Education

• Take a step back if necessary: A leading concern Customer service burnout
with customer service burnout is that it can lead to
a person feeling on edge or even defeated following can lead to lower performance
an unusually bad interaction. Unpleasant interac- levels and poor mental health
tions are seen when customer service representa-
tives navigate a higher number of customers, and for employees, which is why
they can be worsened when an employee is burned
out. Encouraging staff to take a step back for even it is so important to
a few minutes when tensions are high can have a navigate it correctly.
significant positive impact. Sometimes, we all need
to pull back and compose ourselves.

• Lean on team support: Teams are more powerful able moments, encourage everyone to focus on the
when they come together, and focusing on the team victories and the benefits that come with them.
mentality can have a positive effect (see https://ti- • Explore mental health support: At its core, burnout
nyurl.com/2bf6xs6t). When you remind a team that
you are all in it together, the team members will is a mental health condition, and that means it may
require additional support. Mental health resourc-
automatically feel more supported. It feels less like es and professionals can do a lot when it comes to
they are against an impossible task and more like
they are all navigating a big challenge as one unit. helping everyone to feel refreshed and ready to take
on each new challenge. It is much easier to maintain
• Use dedicated strategies: Many recurring custom- and support good mental health than it is to recover
er service burnout periods can be navigated by sim- it, so start early and keep it as a priority.
ply helping teams to improve. Creating dedicated Push back against customer service burnout
guides for navigating common concerns and mak-
ing sure that every staff member is empowered can Customer service representatives are the people respon-
make a huge difference. This simple change stops sible for connecting companies with their customers. That
staff from feeling like they are winging it and helps is an essential role. Unfortunately, a role this important
them to feel like they are simply navigating a pro- can come with great challenges throughout the year. As
cess, even if they are taking their 10th call on pay- long as teams focus on utilizing helpful resources and
ment gateways. When they have the tools to suc- embracing best practices, they can feel ready to take on
ceed, they will feel less overwhelmed during inter- any challenge. With the right tools and support, high-traf-
actions. fic seasons can turn from dreadful to fun.
• Embrace mindfulness practices: Mindfulness is a
powerful tool that is becoming more popular in cor- Nicholas Cucci is the co-founder and COO of Fluid Pay LLC. Cucci is also
porate circles, especially in industries that involve a graduate of Benedictine University and a member of the Advisory
high levels of stress. Through short meditations and Board and Anti-Fraud Technology Committee for the Association of
even stretching and yoga designed to be carried out Certified Fraud Examiners, as a CFE himself. Fluid Pay is the ONLY 100
at a desk, staff can press pause and reset, allowing percent cloud-based Level 1 PCI Payment Gateway processing trans-
them to feel rejuvenated. Changing a mindset can actions anywhere in the world. Contact Nick at Nick@FluidPay.com.
go a long way toward reducing burnout and offer a
more positive experience for customers too! Call me today!
• Look out for each other: The true power of a team Let me help you
comes from solidarity, and teams that look out for with your
each other tend to perform better. During moments advertising
when everything feels like a challenge, staff can do
a lot for each other. Beyond simply remembering success.
that everyone is working together, supportive dis-
cussions or bonding moments can help staff to blow 707-284-1693
off steam and feel supported too.

• Celebrate each victory and positive moment: Al-
though the lows can feel quite low when you are
at elevated risk of experiencing customer service
burnout, the highs can also feel quite high. After
five bad calls or three botched support tickets, it is R R
easy to focus exclusively on the bad—but this will ick Aston
really increase burnout levels. To combat the nega- Senior Media Partnership Specialist
tive effects of those awkward calls and uncomfort- Rick@greensheet.com
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