6 Tips for Keeping Your Cool When Customers Get Hot
There's always one customer who will push your buttons. Maybe they had the displeasure of being failed to be helped by a company representative, or they're just having a bad day, but regardless of the reason, there are customers who elicit an involuntary response in you. Their mere presence pisses you off and makes it hard to stay calm — even if they don't say anything at all.
It's okay though; with these six tips for keeping your cool when dealing with hotheaded customers, you can fight back against the frustration and anger that everyone feels from time to time! Just remember these simple strategies:
- Count one breath in and out. When you get worked up, take a deep breath and count how long it takes to exhale. Then, when you're ready, count one breath in and out again. This will help to calm your nerves because you'll be able to concentrate on the task at hand — staying cool — instead of being reactively angry or upset.
- Count to 10. When something bothers you, break it down into smaller chunks of thought so that it's easier to deal with each individual thing in turn instead of having a bunch of thoughts all at once. Tell yourself "one," then think about what that means for ten seconds. Then, tell yourself "two," etc., until there are no more thoughts left in your head.
- Look for something else to think about. If your attention is on the customer and their problem, then you're not able to think of anything else that might help the situation. Get your mind off of them and onto something else. This could be as simple as listening to a calming playlist on your phone, or even imagining that there's a waterfall around you — distracting yourself can help you stay collected during stressful times!
- Name and tame the anger monster. Imagine that there's an angry monster inside of you, and it's right near your stomach. Now, something has happened where this monster has been riled up — maybe a customer yells at you or something upsets you in another way.