Working in customer service or anywhere else

Hi Brian69  I work from home so mine customer focus isn’t face to face which makes it easier but I completely understand where you’re coming from. You just want to scream I wish I only had tooth ache! It’s so hard to realise everyone’s problems are a problem to them no matter how silly or small they seem to us. I just reply with the standard I’m good thanks even if I’m not. 
the people that annoy me the most are the ones knowing what I’m going through and still moan about trivial things to me! I guess it’s in our nature! 
I’m not sure what the solution is, take a deep breath, reply with a smile and make sure you have someone you can vent to after each shift! 
good luck! 

Hi Brian69 , I worked for a year after my radiotherapy finished but am retired now. I did find it hard at work for all sorts of reasons. I had to manage several members of staff as I was a special needs teacher and we had a very high ratio of staff to students, due to their complex needs. Sometimes my team would have issues with each other which just seemed ludicrous and trivial but I think I just had to adopt a detached approach where I’d mentally shelve my feelings so that I could deal with the issues objectively. A problem which seemed silly to me was clearly very important to them. But I’m not for a minute saying it’s easy!! 
When I was a primary school teacher, before the special needs job, I had one rather challenging student (aged 7/8) who had many very irritating behaviours. My way of keeping detached and therefore not getting angry, which is always disastrous, was to look down at his particular hairstyle (thick, sort of furry hair) and imagine he was a puppy! Somehow that made me smile inwardly and then feel more able to deal calmly with the situation. 
So maybe you could practise a sort of ‘indulgent detachment’ where customers like your old lady with toothache might be less of an irritation. 
Equally, you are at a horrible stage atm I think, waiting for results? So do give yourself credit for being at work at all. It’s truly tortuous, that waiting period. I remember just trying to be as busy as possible, wishing away the days until I’d know more about what I was facing. 
I’m sure others will pop in with more practical advice! There’s even a thread somewhere here about the stupid things people say, and suggestions for replies. But I’m too stupid to find it! Love and hugs, HFxx

This might work, hoping to copy the link to the thread re silly things people say. Not totally the same as your issue at work, but might make you smile! Xx

community.macmillan.org.uk/.../1778719

Seems to work although takes you to most recent reply. If you want to start at the beginning, go to the bottom and click on the double arrow pointing left! Xx

Hi Brian , I work on self service at a well known supermarket and I find it hard to sympathise sometimes yes interacting with customers can be a great distraction most days but when you are feeling down or not having a great day pain wise customers complaining that the machines aren’t working or generally being rude is not good xxx

I think it's helpful to think that everyone's got something going on in their lives, and it's proportionate to whatever else has happened to them. A toothache may be the worst thing that has happened to that person, but I am painfully aware of how I was able to come out the other side of a cancer diagnosis and not everyone is so fortunate. For those people and their families, anything that I am going through must seem trivial.

 Shellbell24 HappyFeet1 

Sigh. Yup. I can imagine that even on the phone it’s not easy to sound cheery. Remember those ‘smile when on the phone’ training bits I did. Tbh I can understand that any problem, never been one to dismiss issues with ‘others have it worse’ but kinda hard. Maybe I’ll do the puppy approach that Happy suggests or visualise people as themselves at age 5.

The other bit that’s hard -harder occasionally- is waiting. Sometimes I’m just sitting there for 10m and my mind goes off to the darkest places. Wanted to browse or message my partner but I have no net. I would like to thank my workplace for the lack of WiFi and my ISP for a 4G that functioned for about 1hr today.

And finally… motivation. I just don’t feel like it. I drag. I’m good at my job and in the past weeks I’m… ok? I make sure things that need to get done. That’s all.

And yes Happy I’m still doing tests and waiting for results. Got a CT and a bone scan to go that I know of.

Yup, can totally get the machine thing. I am generally I very jolly ‘chirpy’ person, singing at work type and now I’m on a really short fuse. I find that overall it helps me, or so I think, but there’s those times.

 Beatthebreast Yeah, it does help thanks. On a logical level I understand it just need some time I suppose. And you’re right in all this mess I live in a country with good healthcare. That’s a thing to be thankful about :)

Just checked the thread.

…….

*deskbang*