chapter 9: minimizing stress and avoiding burnout a guide to customer service skills for the help...

Chapter 9:Minimizing Stress and

Avoiding Burnout

A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional

Second Edition

A Guide to Customer Service Skills for the Help Desk Professional, 2e 2

Objectives

• Learn effective coping skills to reduce the negative effects of stress in your life

• Use proven techniques to manage your time wisely and achieve personal success


Minimizing Stress and Avoiding Burnout

• Customer service is a stressful occupation• Good self-management skills are needed• Self-management skills – The skills, such as

stress and time management, that people need to complete work efficiently and effectively, feel job satisfaction, and avoid frustration or burnout

• Self-management skills also include the ability to get and stay organized and continuously and quickly learn new skills


Reducing the Negative Effects of Stress

• Stress is a normal and unavoidable side effect of living

• Stress - The adaptation of our bodies and minds to the demands of life

• Properly managed, stress is an excellent source of motivation and can be a positive part of life

• Conversely, high levels of stress can sap your motivation and become a negative


Reducing the Negative Effects of Stress (continued)

• Too little or too much stress can lead to health problems

• Health problems related to stress include:– Alcoholism– Back and muscle aches– Depression– Drug abuse– Eating disorders– Excessive illness

– Fatigue– Headaches– Low energy and

concentration levels– Premature aging


Determining the Causes of Stress

• A help desk is a particularly stressful place to work because analysts are exposed to multiple sources of stress


Sources of Stress

• Institutional stressors - The stressors that accompany the type of business you are in or the state of the company where you work

• Your challenge is to figure out which institutional stressors you want to experience

• You have very little ability to influence institutional stressors

– You can, however, choose where you work very carefully


Sources of Stress (continued)

• Situational stressors - The stressors that accompany the type of work you do

• Like institutional stressors, situational stressors exist anywhere you work

• You have a greater ability to influence situational stressors by developing a positive attitude and skills

– You can, for example, strike negative phrases from your vocabulary or use the techniques described in this book to become a better listener or to communicate more effectively



• Personal stressors – The stressors that accompany your personal life experience

• Even positive life experiences can cause stress

• You have the greatest ability to influence your personal stressors

– You can determine ways to either eliminate the stressor or minimize its effects on your life



• Layers of stressors may cause you to feel completely

overwhelmed

• Take the time to identify the real source or sources of

your stress

• Ask yourself the following questions:

– Do you like the business you are in?

– Do you like the work that you do?

– Are you happy with your personal life?


Developing Effective Coping Mechanisms

Two key factors that affect how people respond to stress are:

1. How much control a person has over a stressor2. Whether or not a person chooses to be exposed to the

stressor

• How much control a person has over a stressor:– You cannot always control what happens around you

or what other people do– There is always something you can do– You can choose whether or not to expose yourself to

a stressor


Developing Effective Coping Mechanisms (continued)

• When you cannot control a situation, you have two choices:

1. Change the situation2. Control the way you respond to the situation

• Once you accept a stressor, stop complaining about it • Complaining simply makes you unhappy and may even

magnify the stressor in your mind • Determine what you can do to minimize the effect that the

stressor is having on your life• Be positive. Continuously remind yourself that you are

accepting this stressor for a reason



• Accepting responsibility for the stress you are experiencing is the most important step you can take in terms of coping with stress and avoiding burnout

• Burnout - The physical and emotional exhaustion caused by long-term stress

• People often experience burnout when they are not managing their stress day-in and day-out



• To manage stress effectively, remember that there is always something that you can do

• Determine the best course of action to take by staying calm and in control

• If you feel yourself losing control and becoming incapable of making a good decision, use calming techniques:– Take a deep breath– Take a sip of water– Use positive self-talk– Use positive imagery



• Stress is a normal part of life

• You cannot eliminate it altogether

• You can learn to identify the causes of stress in your life and develop effective coping mechanisms

• You can also learn to use stress as a positive, motivating force


Learning to Master Change

• Advances in technology have dramatically changed when, where, and how people work and live

• Today’s business economy is shifting more and more toward technology-related services and knowledge work

• Success in today’s business world belongs to people who:– Embrace change

– Are ready and willing to reinvent themselves as needed to contribute to the company’s goals

• Companies want people that can quickly abandon outdated tools and methods

• Career opportunities go to people that look to the future, anticipate coming changes, and quickly adapt


Learning to Master Change (continued)



• Recognize learning as the labor of the Information Age: – Technology changes quickly and it doesn’t take long for

technical skills to become obsolete

– Take the time to continuously update and improve your technical skills as well as your business, soft, and self-management skills

• Develop flexibility: – Expect on any given day to be asked to do something new,

something you’ve never done before, perhaps even something you will never do again

– Develop the ability to quickly figure out what needs to be done and do it

– If you need help, ask for it



• Speed up: – Approach all of your work with a sense of urgency

– The goal is to get it done, get it done right, and get it done quickly

– Strive for excellence and do it fast

• Develop project-management skills:– Anyone who has to juggle more than one task at a given time

can use project management skills

– Good project management skills take time to develop and can improve only through experience

– Project management skills are highly transferable and will serve you well now and in the future


Getting and Staying Mentally and Physically Fit

• Coping with stress and mastering change takes physical and emotional energy

• Stressful situations, left unchecked, can lead to illness

• Fight-or-flight reaction - A set of physiological changes that occur when the mind, upon perceiving a stressful event, triggers an alarm that mobilizes the body for action

• Today, people are not aware of their bodies’ minute-to-minute responses to stressful situations

• In time, this tension can accumulate and lead to serious health problems


Getting and Staying Mentally and Physically Fit (continued)



• Exercise - Provides a way of releasing the muscle tension that can accumulate from stress

• Practice good nutrition - Eating the right amount of food at the right time helps you sustain energy level and maintain an even temperament

• Avoid the use of stimulants – Stimulants exaggerate all of the body’s stress responses by causing a surge of adrenaline and other hormones



• Drink plenty of water - It increases your energy level and mental capacities

• Ergonomically align your workspace - A poorly designed workspace can cause physical symptoms– Ergonomics - The applied science of equipment design

intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort

– Repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) - Physical symptoms caused by excessive and repeated use of the hands, wrists, and arms, or from performing tasks using force, strenuous actions, awkward postures, and poorly designed equipment

– Carpal tunnel syndrome – A RSI that affects hands and wrists and is linked to repetitious hand movements



• Take breaks - Working nonstop often leads to fatigue and burnout– Take time throughout the day to rejuvenate yourself

• Let your sense of humor shine through – Laughter helps you relax when you are feeling tense and can restore your sense of optimism and self-confidence

• Commit yourself to relaxation – A relaxing activity is one that leaves you free of tension and refreshed both physically and mentally– A relaxing activity should consume you to the extent

that you temporarily forget about your stressors and focus on your personal well-being



• Set realistic goals - Realistic goals are attainable. • The most successful people have written short- and long-

term goals as well as professional and personal goals • At work, ask your supervisor or team leader to help you

establish reasonable goals along with a timetable for reviewing your accomplishments

• Make sure you understand your team’s goals and how your personal goals fit in with them

• Not having goals can also lead to stress• Goals give you a purpose in life• Knowing where you want to go and what you want to do in

life allows you to focus your energies and avoid, or more easily tolerate, distractions along the way



Closeup: Ergonomically aligning your workspace

• The placement and use of your chair, monitor, keyboard, and mouse are related and must be aligned properly with each other and with you

• Chair – Adjust until your back is erect, slightly back, and firm against the backrest

• Thighs and legs should be relaxed and feet should be flat on the floor



• Monitor - Directly in front of you at, or just below, eye level

– When sitting straight with your head erect, the monitor should be no more than 24 inches away from your eyes

• Keyboard and mouse - Keep your wrists straight and avoid resting them on hard surfaces

• Telephone - Either directly in front of you or at less than a 25 degree angle and no more than 10 inches away



• Headset - Should keep your head and neck in a neutral position and free your hands for activities such as keyboarding

– Do not use a headset that encourages you to tilt or hang your head

• Lighting – The brightness of your workspace can greatly affect your well-being– Too much lighting: Reduce glare by spraying an antiglare

coating on the glass surface or by installing an antiglare filter– Too little lighting: Use adjustable task lighting on the desk that

provides directed lighting to supplement the overhead lighting

• Make a conscious effort to look out a window and experience natural light periodically throughout the day


Managing Your Time

• Help desks are high-activity places to work and some days can be very hectic

• Analysts who manage time wisely are able to feel in control during exceptionally busy times and stay motivated during slow times

• Good work habits, such as getting and staying organized, enable you to:

– View work as a challenge to be enjoyed

– Maintain physical and mental fitness on the job

– Achieve personal success


Getting and Staying Organized


Getting and Staying Organized (continued)

• Strong organizational skills are the hallmark of an excellent service provider

• How you manage your workload will influence:– Customer satisfaction– Your relationship with other service providers– Your personal stress level

• Create a BOD – A beginning of day (BOD) checklist is a list of tasks an analyst performs at the start of each workday

• Create a “What I need to know” list - A list, placed in clear view, of important telephone numbers, file names, dates, etc. that analysts need on a fairly regular basis



• Create a “What co-workers need to know” list – A list of important information co-workers may need to know if an analyst is out of the office for a period of days or weeks

• Keep up with your paperwork - Paperwork completed in a timely fashion takes less time because information is fresh in your mind

– Your coworkers and your supervisor or team leader appreciate your maintaining up-to-date paperwork because then they have the information they need to do their work if you are not available



• Log all problems real time - Writing customer and problem data on a piece of paper during the contact and then logging the information later is an unproductive practice

– Logging problems real time ensures that other analysts know a problem exists and enables help desk managers to know and show when the help desk is short-handed

• Check the status of your open tickets daily - Learn to create online reports or run queries that list all of the tickets you own so that you can stay organized


Coping with Deadlines

• Deadlines are a normal part of life and can be a positive, motivating force

• The best way to cope with deadlines is to:

1. Clearly define the work to be done

2. Be realistic about what you can accomplish each day, week, and year

• Overcommitting is a major cause of stress and can diminish your ability to do high-quality work


Coping with Deadlines (continued)

• Avoid procrastination - Putting off a task until the last minute can cause you to miss a critical deadline or produce a low-quality product– Break large tasks into smaller ones and try to

complete the task a little bit at a time

– Set a time limit and work on a task for at least that period of time

– By breaking large tasks into smaller ones, you will know a lot sooner whether you can meet your deadline and can then inform your supervisor or team leader



• Manage your priorities - Create a “To Do” list that shows all of the tasks you are required to complete– Assign a priority to each task

– Check for a balance of priorities

– When faced with too many “A” tasks, consider the following:1. Who asked me to complete this task? 2. What is the risk if I don’t complete this task? What is the

value if I do complete this task?3. When am I expected to have this task done? What is my

deadline?



• Use your peak productivity times – Determine if you are an early bird or a night owl– If possible, schedule your work to take

advantage of the time during which you function best

• Eliminate time robbers - Activities that take up time and do not add value to the work you perform



Use the following techniques to avoid time robbers:

• Log contacts as they come in

• Avoid distractions

• Avoid gossip and excessive socializing

• Ask for help when you really need it

• Keep your desk and files organized

• Suggest constructive ways to make improvements

• Automate recurring tasks



• Companies are increasingly asking employees to do more work, often with fewer resources

• People who manage their time well can meet this challenge because they prioritize their work and stay focused on producing the desired results

• People who manage their time well also tend to experience lower levels of stress and burnout

• Time and stress management skills are tightly linked

• People who are highly stressed may be contributing to that stress by making poor decisions in terms of how they use their time


Understanding the Time/Stress Connection

• Time management involves making an endless series of small and large decisions about what you will accomplish each day

• Inappropriate decisions, such as those that result in wasted time, can lower self-esteem and increase stress levels

• People who maintain a positive attitude, manage their priorities, and use time wisely, feel good at the end of each day because they know they have done their best

• Time and stress management skills are tightly linked

• People who are highly stressed may be contributing to that stress by making poor decisions in terms of how they use their time


Understanding the Time/Stress Connection (continued)

• Teach and help others so that they can in turn help you

• Let your boss or coworkers know when you are feeling overwhelmed or don’t know which of your tasks take priority

• Let people know that your plate is full rather than miss a deadline or let them down because you run out of time

• Calmly ask for clarification about what you should consider your priorities or state what you can do – “I was planning on finishing the month-end report this

morning. Does this task take priority over that?”



• Failing to plan ahead is another common contributor to people’s stress

• Minutes of planning prior to an event can often mean the difference between feeling stressed and confused when the event arrives, or enjoying the event to its fullest; or at least feeling in control of the event

• Highly stressed people often feel they don’t have time for time management or for training in stress management

• Remember… you choose the stress you experience each and every day

• Practicing good time and stress management will help you take control of your life and achieve your full potential



• If you choose a career in the help desk industry, an exciting and rewarding profession awaits

• It is a rapidly growing and ever-changing field that offers tremendous opportunities to people who like working with technology and enjoy helping customers

• To seize these opportunities, you must hone your soft- and self-management skills, along with your business and technical skills



• In developing these skills, you lay the foundation for a successful career, regardless of your chosen profession

• You also develop the “life” skills needed to handle even the most challenging situations—whether in your professional life or in your personal life—with confidence and enthusiasm

Be optimistic

With your skills, the future is bright!


Chapter Summary

• Customer service is a stressful occupation and analysts need to develop good self-management skills, such as stress and time management– To deal effectively with the stress in your life, take the

time to identify the real source or sources of your stress

– Develop a plan of action and a stress management program that will work for you


Chapter Summary (continued)

• Two key factors that affect how people respond to stress are:

1. How much control they have over the stressor

2. Whether or not they choose to be exposed to the stressor

• Even when you feel a situation is out of your control, there is always something you can do – You can change the situation or you can control the way you

respond to the situation

• Accepting responsibility for the stress you are experiencing is the most important step you can take in terms of coping with the stress and avoiding burnout



• The rate of change in today’s business world keeps accelerating, and it is not likely to slow down any time soon– Learn to embrace change and be willing to reinvent

yourself as needed to contribute to your company’s goals

• Take personal responsibility for your career– By accepting responsibility for your future, you can

minimize much of the stress and fear that comes from putting your well-being in the hands of someone else, such as an employer



• Coping with stress and mastering change takes physical and emotional energy– Take time, every day, to think about your physical and

emotional needs, and devote time to fulfilling those needs

• Companies are increasingly asking employees to do more work, often with fewer resources– People that manage their time well are able to meet this

challenge because they prioritize their work and stay focused on producing the desired results



• Good work habits, such as getting and staying organized, enable you to:– Feel in control

– Make good time management decisions

• When you manage your time well, you will experience lower levels of stress and burnout

• Time and stress management are tightly linked

• Practicing both will help you take control of your life and achieve your full potential

chapter 9: minimizing stress and avoiding burnout a guide to customer service skills for the help...

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