Answers from frontline reps —

Spend time with coworkers. There are a few things that have always worked for me and basically kept me sane throughout the day. The first one is to spend time with co-workers. We spend so much time together during the day, but these people are in the trenches with you and understand what you are going through. Go to lunch together or grab a coffee with them before work. It’s a good feeling knowing that you have people dealing with the same customer issues that you do. Use the time to vent, but not to bash your job. When you support one another, it makes the job so much easier to deal with.

The second way is to push yourself. We all know our own strengths and weaknesses, so use the customer issues you come across to challenge your knowledge. Find creative ways to take care of your customers while still complying with company procedures. It can be done, I promise you.

— Rachel Dillon, Assurant Specialty Property

Step away from your desk. If I am feeling the pressure of handling a lot of issues throughout the day, I will take a moment to just go get a drink of water to get away from my desk. It helps to step back from the issues for a moment or two and come back at it with fresh determination and it helps to keep me motivated.

I have also found that making sure that I take my breaks and lunches away from my desk or the office, even just going to my car and reading helps to keep my batteries charged and helps me avoid getting burned out, which in turn means that I stay motivated to handle my customers’ issues.

If you are having a really bad day with tons of issues, reward yourself for handling it all professionally and taking care of your customers. Get that pint of ice cream you have been wanting, that song download, that eBook that you have been dying to read. Trust me, these things will help lots with motivation. Even good employees have moments where they can use a boost.

— Jo Sprowl, SKF USA Inc.

Use positive words and phrases.  Be careful about what you say to yourself because the things that you tell yourself can contribute to your perception of reality. Self-talk can create the lens through which we view the world so, why not make it a rose colored one? Try this quote “How people treat me is their karma, how I react is mine.”

Sometimes a certain process or task may lead to demotivating stress. Evaluate the process and what you can change to provide a more positive experience for you and your customers. For example, this year, we’ve set drop off and pick up times to reduce the stressor of time throughout our busy day. It provides more predictability in our work day. We can still deviate from the routine to provide an excellent experience but by setting limits, we’re able to run our business in a less stressful way.

— Megann Wither, Doc’s Doggy Daycare