10
Controlling Your Stress Level

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to

• Describe the impact of stress in a call center environment.

• Define two categories of stress.

• Identify the things that create call center stress.

• Recognize and avoid common negative stressors when dealing with customers.

• Create strategies for reducing or eliminating stressors in the workplace.

It is better to bend than, to break.

Aesop
Greek fabulist

THE IMPACT OF STRESS

Stress is America’s number one health problem, costing organizations an estimated $300 billion dollars annually in lost worker productivity, absenteeism, employee turnover, and direct medical legal and insurance fees. According to the American Institute of Stress, customer service representatives rank fourth behind air traffic controllers, inner-city high school teachers, and police officers as having the most stressful job in the country.

So in a call center, what adds to employee stress levels? Primarily there are several factors—people, technology, and time constraints/environment—that add to CSR stress. These obviously vary in their impact based on the industry, organization, product and services provided, and work environment (e.g., policies, procedures, management style, staffing levels, and workload). No two people react to stressors the same way. The way in which an individual employee internalizes and deals with stress also comes into play related to ultimate impact. Some people might see a customer comment as a mild irritant while another might become very emotional. Add to work-related stress the fact that many people allow stress from outside the workplace carry over into it (e.g., family problems, financials worries, or educational issues) and you have a formula for increased frustration and emotional escalation on the job.

WHAT DOES STRESS LOOK LIKE?

Each person might have a different definition of stress based on what impacts her or him. Basically, stress is comprised of any physical or emotional response that occurs when the requirements of an activity challenge or exceed a person’s capabilities, resources, or needs.

There are actually two types of stress—bad stress (distress) and good stress (eustress).

Distress

The bad stress can cause anxiety, depression, loss of motivation, and ultimately long-term medical and physical conditions if it is not recognized and reduced or eliminated. In a call center, it can also cause breakdowns in the service level provided to customers and relationships with coworkers.

Distress is often caused by having too many assigned tasks (e.g., customer calls or contacts) and a feeling of not enough time or resources to handle them. Many times the sheer pressure of having to take timed calls for hours on end can be pressuring to some CSRs. This is especially true if you work in a sales environment where your compensation is based on sales or if you are in an organization that focuses on a negative-based process (e.g., bill collection). In such environments you may encounter many negative customers in a short period of time. Depending on your personality and self-esteem level, this can wear on you. That is why you should quickly recognize your personal signs of stress and identify and use strategies for stress reduction regularly.

Eustress

The term eustress was coined a number of years ago by a prominent psychologist, Dr. Hans Selye. This good form of stress is often self-generated and encourages competition. For example, assume you work in a sales environment and are a very competitive person. To take the boredom out of a shift where calling or responding to customers is required, you and a coworker set a goal of trying to see who gets the next sale first. The winner agrees to buy the loser lunch. You are now placing a self-imposed stressor on yourself with the potential of a good reward coming from it. The same type of stress occurs when a runner is in a race in which he or she chose to participate. The competition might be other runners or trying to beat a personal best time. In either case, the runner is placing a stressful goal on himself or herself.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

The human brain has evolved over centuries to protect itself. In the days of the cave dwellers the need to be prepared to deal with many different potential life-threatening situations was crucial. In today’s customer service environment, the results are not as serious; however, the body often reacts to stressful stimuli much as it did in the past. The following example describes how this evolutionary process works.

When your brain encounters a stressor (something that causes stress in you) it makes a quick evaluation and determination on a course of action. In the days of the Neanderthals (cave people), stress was a daily event. Imagine for a moment that you were alive during that period. You awoke, stretched, and then off you went to get breakfast. As soon as you walked out of the cave, your stress started. Stress was there when you encountered a saber-tooth tiger (who by the way was out looking for breakfast)!

Just as with the saber-tooth tiger example, evolution kicks in when stress arises. When the brain recognizes or perceives danger (or stress), it triggers a chain reaction of events, starting with the release of chemicals (adrenaline) into the nervous system that allows you to run faster, handle extraordinary situations, and, ultimately, potentially triumph. In those days, failure to move quickly enough could have deadly consequences.

In the 21st century, when you encounter stressors, your brain releases chemicals and your heart starts beating faster, sending more blood throughout the body. Additionally, your breathing accelerates to take in more oxygen so that you are ready to deal with the situation (fight), or perhaps to leave the area (flight). This reaction has been coined the fight or flight syndrome by scientists and researchers. Typically, after spurts of excessive adrenaline and activity, the body needs to take a break to regenerate itself. To gain a better understanding of how this occurs, think about times where you have worked very hard (possibly studying all night for an exam or preparing for an interview or presentation). You were able to accomplish the task, but subsequently required time to recuperate. Another example you may have heard of is how a very small person was able to do extraordinary things (e.g., lifting a car off someone who became trapped when a tire jack collapsed). Because of the changes in metabolism brought on by stressful situations, you and they had the necessary tools to accomplish unusual tasks. These are examples of how the fight or flight syndrome works.

In the customer service environment all the adrenaline pumping and accelerated breathing can either be helpful in resolving customer issues, or it can cause problems if you lose control. On the positive side, getting pumped up with adrenaline and excited about a project can sometimes work in your favor. This is especially true when you have tight deadlines for extended stressful periods. For example, assume that your organization just bought out a rival company and has taken over a newly acquired call center site. The decision has been made to install a completely new computer-based communications system to better handle customer calls and contacts. The organization has an eight-week window available to move into the new facility, hire and train additional staff, and install the technology before going online to take calls. This is going to require you and other employees to work overtime for the entire period. Likely, the task will be accomplished (if eight weeks was a realistic estimate of time needed), but at the end of that period, you and the others will need time to rest

On the negative side of the fight or flight syndrome in the customer environment, the added adrenaline can create challenges in maintaining the customer-provider relationship. For example, assume that you encounter a very disagreeable customer who has experienced a problem. No matter what positive communication and customer service skills you try, the customer will accept nothing less that what he is demanding. Additionally, he is yelling and using profanity directed at you and the organization. In such a situation, the added adrenaline may lead you to counter inappropriately (fight), which can lead to a breakdown in the customer-provider relationship. Your option in such instances is to remain professional, maintain control and excuse yourself, and if necessary, seek a supervisor or someone else to handle the situation (flight) (Lucas 2000, 361–362).

CAUSES OF CALL CENTER STRESS

As you have read in other chapters, there are many exciting and challenging events occurring in the call center profession. In addition to the various innovations in technology, there have been demographic shifts, organizational changes, new laws regulating the industry, and a change in customer psyche related to needs and expectations. Each of these factors can contribute to the level of stress that you and other CSRs experience on a given day working with customers.

One of the big challenges for many call center employees is the fact that as their world has gotten more stressful, so has that of their customers. Unfortunately, when the two worlds come together the CSR often has to assimilate and deal with the stress from both.

Because many call centers now use technology such as IVR/VRU and Online Information Fulfillment systems to handle routine customer questions or requests for information, a lot of the less stressful or routine calls are now being handled in other ways. The result is that many of the remaining customer issues that you will deal with are complaints or more complicated ones. To handle these, it is important that you attempt to deal with the stressors that a customer presents by practicing the positive communication techniques outlined in this course, and professionally working to satisfy the needs of the customer. This is not always easy, but it is possible.

RECOGNIZING NEGATIVE STRESS SYMPTOMS

Some signs of stress are obvious while others are more subtle. When stressed you will likely feel immediate indicators when you become emotionally stressed as well experience more long-term effects when stress is drawn out over a period of time. The following are some typical symptoms that you might experience when a call or other situation becomes negatively stressful for you.

Immediate Reactions

The following are some common reactions to negative stress:

• Rapid heartbeat and pulse. Often when emotion starts to rise so does blood pressure and your heartbeat. Depending on severity, you may consciously feel the pounding of your heart.

• Inability to think clearly or focus. When you are under stress, you may find it difficult to listen to the customer or stay focused as your mind races toward a potentially angry response or what you would like to say.

• Exaggerated emotions. When a customer yells at you or stress seems to be unbearable, you may react by crying, having lowered self-esteem or feeling of worth, becoming argumentative, or ultimately becoming depressed.

• Nervousness. Behaviors such as nail biting, fidgeting, sighing, wringing hands together, playing with your hair, or having your fingers or feet in continual motion by tapping or bouncing might be indicators that you are anxious or stressed.

Long-Term Indicators

Some long-term indicators of stress include:

• Irritability. When stress lasts for a period of time, you may find yourself becoming irritable or “short” in responding to other people. Obviously, this tendency can create relationship problems and should be identified and resolved as quickly as possible.

• Physical symptoms. Stress often manifests itself in physical symptoms such as a tense feeling in the neck and shoulders, nauseous stomach, headache, shortness of breath, rapid pulse, high blood pressure, or irregular menstrual cycle.

• Excessive fatigue. This is typically a result of the fight or flight syndrome you read about. After a stressful encounter the body usually needs time to recuperate. Prolonged stress can leave you feeling tired every day. If this occurs, you need to take immediate actions to remedy the fatigue (e.g., time off, visit to the doctor, or reduction in stressors). Otherwise long-term medical conditions (e.g., ulcers, heart or anxiety attack) may result.

• Insomnia. When you find that you regularly have difficulty getting to sleep, toss and turn throughout the night and are tired in the morning, you may want to seek medical assistance to determine the cause. It could be stress induced.

• Excessive habits. Smoking, eating, drinking, or other similar behaviors can be a symptom of compensating for feelings of stress. These can lead to health problems.

• Tardiness or absenteeism. If you find yourself exhibiting negative behaviors toward work, you may want to objectively analyze if it is time to take action to resolve the issue. For example, if you find that you dread getting up in the morning on a workday, look for ways to avoid going to work, or make regular disparaging statements such as, “I can’t wait until Friday,” or “Tell me again how lucky I am to be working here,” it may be time to act. Your ultimate solution might be to seek counseling to determine the cause of your frustration before taking the drastic step of a job change.

STRATEGIES FOR STRESS REDUCTION

There are many things that can be done to reduce stress in the workplace. Some are simple (e.g., change the configuration of your workspace) while others are more complex (e.g., speak to your supervisor about workload or job responsibilities). The key is to recognize signs of long-term stress and take steps to reduce or eliminate them. This can lead to improved self-esteem, job satisfaction, and ultimately quality customer service. The following are some specific strategies for stress reduction.

Environmental Strategies

Here are some strategies you can use when dealing with stress caused by your environment:

• Remain Positive. People are a major cause of environmental stress. This is true because you cannot control or change someone else’s behavior; however, you can adapt your behavior to more positively interact with such people. This is a conscious choice you have to make in order to reduce stress when dealing with a difficult person or customer situation. To effectively deal with customers who are uncooperative, demanding, emotional, or demonstrating other stress inducing behavior, remember to remain professional, objective, and use the positive communication techniques outlined in other areas of this course. Remind yourself that the customer is likely angry or frustrated by the system and not you personally. If you do not take her or his comments personally and instead try to reduce the emotional level and resolve the issue, you can often turn a negative situation into a positive service experience. By being positive and proactive you take away obstacles that the customer may feel a need to overcome.

As you have read before, a positive outlook or attitude is a crucial tool affecting quality customer service. Do whatever you have to do to remind yourself that just because one person is a jerk does not mean that everyone else is too. Give yourself positive self-talk, such as, “This isn’t really that bad,” “I can handle this,” or “I’ve had worse customer situations that this.”

• Work to improve your workspace. Research by a number of sources has found a direct correlation between the appearance of an employee’s workspace and their level of productivity and satisfaction. One famous study (Hawthorne Study) found that simply by changing the wall colors and amount of light in a work area, an organization could increase employee satisfaction and feelings of worth. Look around your area. Are there improvements that you or your organization could make that will increase effectiveness, and ultimately reduce stress as you deliver service to customers? For example, is there ample lighting, heating, or cooling? Is the area clean and organized? Are your chair, desk, headset, and keyboard comfortable and adjusted ergonomically to reduce strain and make usage effective? Do you have all the equipment and supplies you need to adequately provide service? If the answer to any of these is no, then make adjustments or speak with your supervisor. If you are not comfortable or adequately equipped you cannot deliver quality service and you can become stressed without realizing it.

• Suggest organizational changes. If there are policies, procedures, job structure issues, or other people inhibiting your ability to effectively do your job, you will likely feel frustrated and could take out your frustrations on a customer. If there is a problem in any of these areas, either speak to those involved in a professional manner or seek assistance from your supervisor or team leader to resolve the issue. Instead of appearing to be a complainer, have at least two possible solutions to the issue when you approach the other person. Just as when dealing with customers you can then provide them with an option from which to choose.

• Reduce repetitive tasks. The nature of a CSRs job is to handle repetitive tasks (e.g., sell products and services, answer customer inquiries or deal with problems), however, there are often other opportunities for you to perform varied tasks in order to give yourself a mental break from the job. For example, there are sometimes reports that need to be compiled or analyzed, committees formed to address organizational issues, opportunities to cross-train into another area so that you can fill in for others in emergency situations, or assist in training new CSRs. If you feel that you need a break, approach your supervisor or team leader to volunteer for such assignments. By doing so, you demonstrate initiative, possibly give yourself an opportunity for personal and professional growth, and provide a break from routine or regular duties.

Personal Strategies

Here are some strategies you can use to overcome internally generated stress:

• Identify stressors. Before things get out of control, examine what is going on in your life to determine if adjustments need to be made. For example, if you get off a very stressful call with a customer and your heart is pounding and you are feeling angry, do not take another call immediately. Instead take a few deep breaths, take a short walk, or go for a drink of water, if possible. Remember that after a stressful activity, you need to do something to “come down” from the emotional high and allow your body to get back to normal.

• Breathe slowly. Whenever you find yourself getting emotional or upset, take slow deep breaths. This gets more oxygen into your blood system and ultimately your brain and will allow you to remain clear in your decision making.

• Avoid retaliation. Even when you get upset with someone else, it is best to avoid the temptation to get back at him or her. Remember when you were a child and someone called you a name on the playground. You likely called them one back. After several minutes of this, someone likely got pushed. At that point you either hit back or ran to tell the teacher (fight or flight). In that situation, no one won. Neither you nor the other kid, nor the teacher who now had to stop what she or he was doing to deal with the problem you two created gained anything. The same is true when dealing with others in a stressful situation. Instead of escalating, work to reduce tensions and resolve the issue professionally.

• Set realistic goals. In Chapter 9 you read about the importance of effective time management. Often, you may find that you want to do more but do not have the time. Part of your success in the area of time management and goal setting is to recognize how much time and energy you have available for projects and your job. If there seem to be overwhelming requirements, approach your supervisor or team leader for assistance or guidance.

• Improve physical condition and nutrition. Like a car, your body is a finely tuned piece of equipment. It needs maintenance and proper fuel to run at peak efficiency. Your physical condition and what you consume impacts your energy level, your ability to think and process information effectively, your ability to deal with stress, and your overall state of health. If you are not actively monitoring intake and exercising regularly you may be setting yourself up for problems later. If nothing else, cut out sweetened drinks (drink water instead), fattening snacks (eat fruit and raw vegetables), and large amounts of fast food (possibly bring nutritious food from home for lunch or dinner). Also, instead of taking an elevator or escalator, use the stairs and go for a brief walk before or after work or at lunchtime. These simple practices can reduce weight and increase fitness.

• Avoid chemical intake. It should go without saying that you should avoid illegal drugs. These limit your ability to think and process information when dealing with customers and also negatively impact your health. Additionally, avoiding tobacco and alcohol products can increase health and effectiveness. Most health plans now offer assistance for educating employees and helping reduce dependency. If you are not aware of what your organization offers, check with your supervisor or the human resources department.

• Create time for yourself. In a hurried world, it is important that you leave a few spare minutes for yourself throughout the day. You can do this by going on break with a friend, reading a couple pages of a book or article, going to a movie at the end of a stressful day, or just going for a walk with a spouse or significant other. Find time to do something that you enjoy and that will give you a chance to take the focus off work or stress.

• Manage your time effectively. Follow the tips outlined in Chapter 9 to allow yourself time to effectively accomplish your daily tasks.

• Take periodic humor breaks. Life is too short not to have fun or enjoy what you do at work. You are there for the majority of your waking hours so make it a worthwhile investment. One way to accomplish this is to read, review, or listen to something humorous. This might be a comedy cassette going to and from work, reading the comics in the newspaper on break, or sharing a clean joke with a coworker. Be careful with this latter suggestion. Do not get involved in sharing or encouraging others to tell jokes that might be offensive to any person or group. Not only are there workplace laws prohibiting such activities, it can also send an unprofessional message about you to others.

• Avoid overworking. Based on personality or the inner drive to achieve as much as possible, many people have become driven. No matter how much they do, they strive to do more. When work does not provide outlets for this energy, they volunteer to coach little league, serve on boards or committees, or work on projects for their religious institutions. The term assigned to such people is workaholic (see Exhibit 10–1).

Stress is a major contributor to loss of workplace effectiveness and efficiency. People, technology, time constraints, and the customer service environment can contribute to CSR stress levels.

Generally, there are two categories of stress—bad stress (distress) and good stress (eustress). Distress is often caused by too many assignments and not enough time and can be brought on by outside influences. On the other hand eustress is normally self-generated and can push you toward goal attainment. To deal with bad stress, the body and brain have evolved through the fight or flight syndrome to a point where you can adapt to the stressors that you encounter and effectively deal with them.

Due to technology, demographic shifts, organizational changes, laws regulating industries, and a change in customer psyche over the years, the job of a CSR has gotten more difficult and stressful. Many of the routine tasks formerly handled by CSRs are now done by technology, leaving only the more difficult or stressful ones for CSRs to deal with.

Some of the immediate indicators of stress include rapid heartbeat, inability to think clearly or focus, exaggerated emotions, or nervousness. Long-term indicators of stress include irritability, physical pains, excessive fatigue, insomnia, excessive habits, tardiness, and absenteeism.

To reduce or eliminate stress you can try remaining positive, working to improve your workspace, suggesting organizational changes, reducing competitive tasks, when possible, identifying stressors, breathing slowly, avoiding retaliation, setting realistic goals, improving physical condition and nutrition, avoiding chemical intake, creating time for yourself, managing your time effectively, taking periodic humor breaks, and avoiding overworking.