Doing drugs to try and calm down, is not a good thing.

You are standing on that 10-meter dive, looking down at the water. Don’t worry if you land belly flat, you will live. :P, and next time you will land on your feet.

Here are some tips to think about:

1. How would you like to be greeted when you called YOUR company.

2. SMILE!! - People listening on the phone may not SEE you smile, but it’s a known fact, that a person who SMILES even if it’s a fake smile, or just a polite smile, easier is able to talk to people. Imagine you are standing in the same room as the customer, and are talking direct to him/her. Imagine how YOU would like YOU to talk to YOU.

3. Be polite, and friendly.

4. Never say the words “NO” or “Can’t” they are very negative. Instead use phrases like “certainly sir/madam, let me check for you…”..even if you know it’s not possible, it gives your customer the feeling you are trying to help them.

5. If you encounter a rude person, immediately try and put yourself in his/her shoes, and imagine you answering yourself from her or his point of view.

Talking on the phone with customers is all about psychology. And the hardest step, is the first step. Then it’s like driving a car, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Manipulating people without them knowing it, is where the key lays. Make the customer feel he/she control the conversation, with you leading the actual conversation.

Man…i love customer support. When you hangup, and know you fixed something even if it was huge or small, give yourself a pat on the shoulder.

The most common problem people face, is when they get customers calling over and over again about THE SAME THING! - It is easy to get annoyed, but it’s even more important to remember the golden rule.

“Every new customer, require a clean sheet”

Be patient, and never let them anger you, no matter how rude they are, never let them get under your skin.

If it gets uncomfortable, just tell the customer “This is becoming a bit uncomfortable, good day sir/madam.”.

Sometimes, if the customer is persistent, it’s important to know when to draw the line.

I once had a male customer come into the office. And he had this bad habit of touching me, when he talked to me. Which was a bit unprofessional. So one day he was “pinching my ear” as of a joke, I just told him “I would appreciate if you refrained from doing that, because that is one of my erogenous zones.”. He never touched me after that. LOL! That said, yes, i am a man too, and yes, I think he may have been a bit over the line.

Wish you the best of luck, and remember…SMILE!, if you have problem smiling, find a “happy thing” to always think about, before you pick up that phone. Something that almost will make you giggle. A smile spoken on the phone, makes people relax.

Best wishes

Boof