Monday, August 25, 2014

Seven Ways to Avoid Senseless Road Rage

Every driver has or will at some point come in contact with an angry and an aggressive driver. Before you react toward your aggressor, think of all the ramifications that you could possibly face and thus only regret it later. Unfortunately, some individuals have actually lost their lives as a result of +Senseless +road+rage. Don’t become the victim of a +Road +Rage catastrophe. Here are seven tips for defusing the anger of an aggressive driver.

Rule 1
SAFETY FIRST
First and foremost, make sure that the vehicle you drive is safe. This in itself can help keep aggressive drivers off of your tail. Make sure that your turn signals work properly, your brake lights work properly, and that you get regular maintenance checks on your vehicle.

Rule 2
OBEY RULES OF THE ROAD
In an effort to avoid preventable collisions, alleviate traffic slowdowns, and prevent verbal altercations and obscene gestures, it is imperative that you obey the rules of the road at all times. Be sure to use your turn signals before changing lanes and turning. You should also use your mirrors to check for other vehicles and pedestrians as well.

Remember to adjust your speed accordingly when approaching construction sites, during inclement weather, and near school zones. And by all means, pull to the right for sirens and lights!

Rule 3 +Avoid +Texting +While +Driving It is extremely dangerous to text while driving. It is also against the law in some states. Texting as well as chatting on your phone can distract you, to the point that you don't realize what's going on around you. You must stay focused at all times while driving.

Rule 4
AVOID TAILGATING +Never +Tailgate another driver's vehicle. This might cause unnecessary verbal altercations and the use of obscene gestures. Also, should they have to stop suddenly, you could run right into the back of their vehicle. The impact, could also cause a chain reaction of several vehicles to collide.

Now if someone tailgates your vehicle, simply put on your turn signal and change lanes when it is safe to do so. By all means, steer clear of that driver!
Rule 5

NEVER RETALIATE
If a driver does something like, cut you off in traffic without signaling, blow their horn to aggravate you, or tailgate your vehicle for miles, don't make an attempt to get even with them in any way! It may be difficult initially, but you must simply ignore them. I reiterate, don't waste your time trying to get even with them. It's not worth the stress!
Rule 6

NEVER MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH +Road +Bullies Making eye contact with your aggressor can lead to deadly consequences. If your aggressor insist on harassing you in any way, before you are tempted to do something foolish, see step seven.

Rule 7
CONTACT LAW ENFORCEMENT
If you are ever confronted by an angry and aggressive driver who insist on antagonizing you, please call for help. If you are in your hometown and know your police's district phone number, call them ASAP. If you don't have a phone number, call 911 and report the incident. Or pull into the nearest gas station, fire station, or other well lit safe area and seek help. You don't want to provoke your aggressor and cause the situation to escalate. Think of your family, friends, and other loved ones who would be heartbroken if they learned that your situation resulted in a tragedy.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Pros and Cons of Working in Customer Service

http://www.clker.com/cliparts/0/c/7/c/11949846751610079182signorina_architetto_fra_01.svg.med.pngIf you are seeking to work in a customer service role, bear in mind that everyday will be dissimilar. While you may have an exceptionally good day working with the public one-day, the next day could be a total disaster. But that’s the ambiguity of working in a public sector; no two days are ever the same, but unpredictable. It’s practically inevitable that you will have to deal with angry and dissatisfied customers at one time or another. It’s also very likely you will receive compliments and letters of praise from satisfied customers provided you render good service. You might also have to work in stressful working conditions, depending upon your job responsibility. Listed are scenarios and working conditions that you can anticipate and/or job responsibilities that are mandatory when working in this capacity.

PROS
Satisfied customers
Letters of praise and compliments from customers
Rewards and Recognition from employer
Flexible hours
Job share
Job satisfaction
Good employee evaluation
Health insurance and other benefits
Rewarding career
Experience
Resume builder
Raises and promotions
Job security
On-the-job training
May not be required to have a college degree

CONS
Dissatisfied customers
Verbal insults from customers
Customer complaints
Poor customer service ratings
Required to make outbound calls and answer customer inquiries during work hours if a telemarketing position
Low employee morale
Job dissatisfaction
High employee turn over rate (you may be required to fill in when needed)
Stand for long periods of time or all day- during work hours
Sit for long periods of time answering customer inquires via chat, phone, and email
Work in a stressful environment
Write-ups and possible termination due to multiple complaints from customers
The customer is always right, even when they are wrong
Manager will side with the customer, even when they are wrong
Mandatory overtime when needed
Required to work weekends and holidays

How to Appease an Irate Customer

 When working in a public sector, undoubtedly, you will encounter an angry customer at one time or another. When you find yourself in this predicament, you will need to know how to handle the situation appropriately. Otherwise, you could worsen the matter and put yourself in harms way. Keep in mind that one dissatisfied customer can put your business in jeopardy because word-of-mouth travels faster than company advertisement. An angry and/dissatisfied customer will go to great lengths to tarnish your business reputation whether it was due to poor customer service or a defective product. And some customers, during a fit of rage, might even verbally insult the worker(s) who are providing service to them. I’ve seen it happen on many occasions.

Managers should be proactive in training their employees on how to effectively handle angry customers. The key is to use a diplomatic approach in calming the individual first before trying to win him/her over. I find that allowing the customer time to rant for a moment helps to ease the tension, paving way for sensible discussion. An apology from the manager also helps in reducing friction between the customer and the worker involved, even if the customer was in the wrong.

You should never yell at the customer or demonstrate that you are unconcerned with his/her complaint. This will only cause tension to escalate. The objective is to defuse their anger. It’s also very important that you maintain a pleasant demeanor when in the customer’s presence. Your body language should coincide with your verbal language. For example, don’t say your sorry about what happened but roll your eyes up in your head as if you are opposed to resolving the issue. But instead, communicate that you appreciate them and want to help them. Finally, resolve the matter in the best interest of the customer. This could mean, a discount on service or product, free meal card, etc.

In the event nothing seems to work no matter how hard you try to win the customer over and you see the customer is totally out of control, then its time to get security involved.

Working in Customer Service With a Smile



If you are contemplating working in the customer service field, there are things you should know before you pursue your aspiration. No matter the industry, whether in housekeeping, fast food, telemarketing, retail, banking and the like, performance expectations are the same. First and foremost, I suggest that you take a self-assessment test to determine if you are suitable for this type work.

Keep in mind that everyone is not suited to work in customer service. These type jobs may look easy, but in fact, can be very difficult to perform. Another thing to keep in mind is that you will encounter customers with all types of personalities. You will find some very nice, some rude, some impatient, and some very demanding. Nonetheless, you will need to maintain a pleasant demeanor always when dealing with the public. If you are quick tempered or moody, this is probably not the job for you. If you want to be successful in the customer service field, it helps to have good people skills as well.

Companies are adamant about providing excellent customer service to its patrons, simply because they want their business to be successful. Your failure to provide anything less could put the business at risk and could possibly result in termination of your employment. Companies lose hundreds of customers to its competitors due to poor customer service.

Most companies usually test and train potential employees how to effectively work with the customers before they employ them. You will need to put acquired skills into practice when you interact with people of all kinds.
Positions for customer service jobs could include working within an establishment, by phone, email, online chat, and sometimes text. Keep in mind that when providing service via phone, email, chat, or text you will still have to render excellent customer service as you would face-to-face.

5 Reasons Why Some People Fail to Achieve Their Goals

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Why do some people set goals yet fail to attain them? It seems that some don’t understand the purpose of goal setting. Too often people make goals that they never +achieve. Well, there are several reasons for this. This article will discuss five of the most popular reasons why some individuals do not attain their goals.

1. Set unrealistic goals- this is by far one of the main reasons people fail to achieve set goals. If you want to be successful in your endeavor, you will need to set realistic attainable goals.

2. Give up too easy- where is your motivation? Some don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel quick enough and throw in the towel as soon as things get a little rough. You have to be willing to stick to your goals no matter what obstacles you encounter. Bottom line, stay motivated.

3. Non-commitment- some don’t even attempt to try to carry out their plan. They will find all sorts of excuses why they cannot move forward. In order to be successful, you must take your goal setting serious and be willing to take healthy risk.

4. Non-support- those closest to you are not supportive of your vision. In order to attain desired goals you must free yourself from negative people and those who don’t support your vision. You must believe in yourself. Connect with those individuals who will help you attain your goals.

5. Surrounded by distractions- too many distractions can interfere with your ability to attain your goals. It’s hard to stay focused when you are distracted by people, places, or things. Remove the distractions so you can move forward.