Buyer Service Workers Stress Administration Ideas
How online training helps customer service reps deal with stress in the workplace
Stress is often widespread in the workplace. Especially for customer service reps who are on the front line every day asking complaints and questions. In small amounts, this can help your team stay vigilant and improve productivity. It’s a powerful motivator. However, a large amount of stress can affect task performance. Not to mention, it affects the mental wellbeing of employees. Here are 7 ways you can help your customer service reps and reduce stress in the workplace with online training.
8 ways to reduce stress in the workplace
1. Equip them with confidence in the workplace
One of the best ways to deal with stress and overcome work-related pressures is to build self-confidence. When employees are convinced of their abilities, they are more able to master challenges without feeling the stress. Immerse your customer service reps in simulations and branching scenarios that mimic workplace situations that are often stressful. If they can handle an angry customer in the simulation, they can transfer that experience to the workplace. This makes them safer and more secure when they encounter an angry customer and they will be able to spread the situation quickly.
2. Teach practical skills
Having the necessary skills will help customer service staff cope with stress more effectively and overcome common obstacles. For example, if they lack communication skills, they may not be able to articulate their thoughts to customers or actively listen to their complaint in order to find the best solution. However, online training will equip them with these important skills. Serious games are just one way to fill in the gaps and identify areas for improvement. The key here is to facilitate the practical building of skills that are not just dependent on theories or hypotheses. For example, adding a variety of skills that your warehouse or staff personnel need to acquire will only overwhelm your customer service reps. They need skills that relate to their job duties and roles. Time management, organization, and planning are also important skills in helping them deal with stress in the workplace.
3. Build real experiences
Work experience is hard to come by. Seasoned customer service agents often have a fair share of emotional wounds to show. especially those who are more sensitive or not “thick-skinned”. However, you can use examples, anecdotes, and branching scenarios to provide your employees with a healthy dose of real-world experience. They can manage their stresses more effectively once they’ve seen it all, even if it’s an online training environment where they can learn from mistakes.
4. Expose employees to unique customer personalities
Customer service staff encounter a wide range of personality types throughout the work day. From the perfectly satisfied customer who suddenly gets mad when they find they can’t return an item to the customer who walks in every day asking a myriad of questions that are difficult to answer. These encounters can be very stressful for your employees. Use online training to expose them to different client personalities so they are fully prepared. For example a simulation or a serious game in which they learn how to work with different traits or behaviors.
5. Provide assistance when needed
There are times when even the most experienced customer service reps just don’t know what to do. You have never encountered the problem or the circumstances are unusual. In this case, they need just-in-time online training assistance to support them. Employees are better equipped to handle their stresses when the support resources are always there for them instead of having to wait for the manager to walk in or attend the next online training course. The secret is to make it micro and mobile friendly. Customer service agents must be able to discreetly access online training resources when they need it, retrieve the information, and then apply it immediately.
6. Optimize task performance
When employees don’t know how to complete a task, they can panic. Especially when it is a time-sensitive task and customers are patiently or not so patiently waiting for a solution. As such, you may want to incorporate online training tutorials, demos, and other online training resources into your eLearning course design. Employees can optimize their task performance, reduce errors in the workplace, and improve their skills. Instead of taking 10 minutes to complete the return process, they are reducing it to 5, which makes them less stressful and more confident. Not to mention, they improve customer satisfaction as they provide faster service.
7. Provide troubleshooting guides to minimize pressure in the workplace
Troubleshooting guides can be in the form of quick demo videos, online training guides, interactive infographics, or clickable checklists. With these online training resources, employees can quickly navigate the troubled waters of customer service, even if they are newly hired. A great way to build a troubleshooting repository is to interview your team. Get information about what problems they typically run into and why and which delivery formats might bring them the most benefit. For example, would you like to listen to a short podcast that offers tips on how to deal with customer complaints? Or how about participating in a serious game where they learn how to deal with POS glitches? You are in a unique position to shed light on work-related issues and ways to address them with online training.
Conclusion
Online training instills confidence and hands-on experience. This helps customer service staff prepare for the unexpected and stay cool, calm, and under pressure. You are more likely to keep your top talent when people have the support they need. This improves customer service results, employee satisfaction and sales. Use this article to help customer service reps minimize their stress levels and instead maximize their potential.
Is your current LMS part of the solution or is it another stress factor that employees have to deal with at work? Find the best customer service training LMS for your team in our free online directory.
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