Top 5 Stressors of Customer Service Employees Within Sports
Working in customer service isn’t easy, and it seems like it is a dirty little secret that leadership doesn’t want to talk about. Yet, during my coaching and training sessions with service teams, it is the number one thing that causes employees the most dissatisfaction in their jobs! So, here is what I have found to be the top 5 stressors.
Top 5 Stressors
Workload – responsible for WAY too many accounts and cannot deliver winning service
Not feeling empowered - to handle or resolve situations for customers
Internal inconsistencies - not putting the fan first in decisions causing angry fans...over and over again. Guess what this causes? A fan to not renew their tickets!
Last minute projects – special projects, policy changes, communications and call campaigns pushed onto the team’s plate last minute to name a few…possible cause, see #3
Work life balance – due to the workload and technology (email, cell, texts 24/7), and increasing customer demands, employees put their personal lives on the back burner causing job burnout
Service teams are handling stressful situations every day - being yelled at, fixing and resolving the fan experience, being proactive to build lasting relationships with customers, trying to reach goals and staying on top of the day’s tasks all make a day at work very difficult and STRESSFUL.
So, how do we combat stress? Identify the stressor, and find a solution! Let’s look at the types of customers that can cause stress, shall we?
Identify the stressor:
You know the one customer/situation that you avoid because…
They seem to always have a problem
They keep you on the phone for an hour because they want to talk about the game/match, but you don’t have that much time to have a lengthy call
You are putting off calling because you don’t have a resolution and are nervous to speak to them
Or how about the customer that you have to deliver some not so good news and you just don’t want to. Soooooooo, you decide to wait until you have had your coffee, but now that you have had your coffee you decide to just wait until after lunch when you are more energized; however, after lunch you choose to do the easier tasks first. Now you are out of time for the day and have no choice but to handle it tomorrow
Does this scenario sound familar?
The Aftermath: You come into work the next day – you are stressed out because you know you have to face that dreaded customer and work is piling up. Now the customer is even more frustrated since you said you would follow up with them and they were expecting to hear from you by now. As you can see – stess is taking hold, it can impact how work gets done and ultimately it impacts the customer and their experience.
Solution = Understanding Your Stress. A few questions to ask yourself every month to make sure you are on the right track and managing your day and tasks appropriately.
How well are you handling pressure situations?
Are you taking the easy road around what you need to do?
Do you pay too much attention to what is going on in the office – getting too involved in the office gossip? Happens a lot with open office work environments!
Are you often running late to work, meetings, and missing goals and deadlines?
Are you the last person to leave the office at night?
Are you organized and planning out each day to maximize your time and to effectively prioritize your tasks?
These questions are important to ask yourself because I have seen each one of these affect a co-worker and their job throughout my career. By managing each of these, you will be on the fast track to winning at service, achieving your goals, and wasting less time.
Learn more in Module 3 of the LISTEN | RESPOND | GO BEYOND: The Playbook on Winning at Service customer service training course designed exclusively for sports teams!
Stay tuned for my next blog on procrastation, and learn how it can also impact you and your work.
For more information about customer service training contact us today.
Debbie
contact@516businesssolutions.com
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