We all have our patience tested. Some days that comes through our family, friends and even our workplace. That frustration resulting from a lack of patience often unintentionally flows over into our interactions with others, including our customers. How then do we better develop patience within our employees with the goal of strengthening the employee in all areas of their life?
1. Recognize what tests your patience. We all have experiences that tend to decrease our patience. When we recognize what sets us off or triggers us, we can also plan in advance on how we want to proactively be ready for that moment. This is especially important if it is a situation that reoccurs frequently.
2. Forget about multi-tasking. Yes, you read that correctly. We often think managing multiple tasks at once can be successfully done. It is quite the opposite. Just think of the last time you tried to have a phone conversation, send an email and be interrupted in person at the same time! Instead, intentionally focus on one task at a time.
3. Build in buffers. As schedules start to fill, it becomes hard when a meeting or activity goes over by just a few minutes. Instead, consider building in buffers. Think of it as giving yourself more time just like you likely do when you travel somewhere. If you do have items lined up back to back, let the other party know you may be running a few minutes late or you need to leave early. If you are the one running the meeting, make sure you honor the end time you scheduled; everyone will even be more appreciative if you end your meeting a few minutes early.
4. Focus on self-care. When our days fill, we often neglect self-care. It is important, however, to realize that self-care doesn’t have to be long and intensive. It can be taking 5 to 10 minutes between meetings to meditate, take a quick walk, get breakfast or lunch, fill your water bottle or even focus on something more enjoyable. Those minutes can literally reset you for the next responsibility and possible interruption.
While these are great tips to incorporate personally, they are also important to encourage within your own management style and even employee interactions. Most importantly, be willing to listen to others when they do express frustration and help them incorporate healthy ways to manage their patience. Those skills will only translate into their customer service interactions as well! We’d love to talk further with you about how we can help you find more patience by providing your customer service experience. We can be reached at 888-476-0570 or contact@verso.global to talk further about how we ensure every contact with your customers is a positive experience.