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Collection of tracks for demonstrations
Dealing With Self-Doubt (Customer Service)
Brought to you by Assemble You.
It's time to work on YOU. So sit back and listen to practical, actionable advice to accelerate your progress.
The legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh is claimed to have said these wise words about self-doubt: “If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Even the most outwardly self-assured and accomplished of us must routinely deal with that little voice inside of our head which insists upon destroying our confidence and amplifying our doubts. It provokes entirely unhelpful questions such as: What if I mess up and make a fool of myself? What will people say or think of me? What if I’m not smart, talented, capable, or experienced enough? This type of thinking goes by another name: imposter syndrome. In other words, the persistent fear due to excessive self-doubt that you’ll be ‘exposed’ as a fraud one day. As you can probably guess, listening to this critical voice only keeps you from reaching your full potential. In this track, we’ll cover how you can manage feelings of self-doubt.
It's a tough but rewarding challenge to minimise self-doubt and negativity, especially in the world of customer service, where confidence, optimism and assertiveness are some of the most important traits an employee can have. Feelings of doubt and insecurity can arise in customer service roles for a variety of reasons. You might feel unprepared or unqualified to handle a particular customer issue. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of customer inquiries coming through, or you feel uncertain about company policies or procedures. Perhaps you just think you simply don’t have what it takes to perform well in a role like this: the confidence, charisma, social skills and knowledge to excel. By following some of the strategies we’ll outline here and beginning to understand the root cause of your doubt, you’ll become far more equipped to manage it. By the end of this track, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a confident customer service star!
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Let’s begin with self-talk, also referred to as your internal dialogue or inner voice. Your subconscious mind influences self-talk. Self-talk can either be positive or negative, depending on your individual mindset. If you’re more of an optimist, your self-talk is probably more encouraging, constructive, hopeful, and positive. If you’re more of a pessimist, the opposite is usually true. Optimistic thinking is often – rightly – touted as an effective stress management tool, as maintaining a more rosy-shades outlook in life comes with some well-established health benefits. For example, one study in 2010 demonstrated that optimists enjoy a better quality of life as well as greater mental and physical well-being. Other research suggests that people who adopt positive self-talk are far more likely to have the mental skills that allow them to solve problems, think differently, and be more efficient at coping with hardships or challenges.
It will take practice, but by self-reflecting and recognising some of your sneakiest negative self-talk patterns, you can foster the skills needed to “flip” such thoughts when they occur. For instance, instead of “I failed and embarrassed myself”, why not, “I’m proud of myself for even trying. That took courage”. Instead of “I’ve never done this before, and I’ll be bad at it”, why not, “This is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from others and grow”? Instead of “I can’t believe I made that mistake”, try, “That was a learning opportunity, and now I can move forward with greater confidence knowing how to better deal with that situation”.
Sometimes, being too self-conscious, that is, too focused on our own limitations and allowing too much room for our self-doubt, can make it difficult to move past them. When this happens, it can be extremely helpful and empowering to gain a little distance from ourselves by channelling an “alter ego”. Psychologists refer to this as “self-distancing”, and it’s a popular method used to acquire perspective, encourage you to get out of your own way and activate more productive behaviours. It works as follows: imagine someone who has the skills you desire to succeed in your role, whether they are someone in your daily life or a famous person, or even a completely fictional character. Perhaps they are effortlessly smooth, with excellent social skills and a self-assured attitude that seems to carry them through life. Someone who you think would handle the situations you face in your customer service role in the way you wish you could. Now try “taking on” the persona of this more confident person in small ways. Imagine how they would approach each situation or interaction. This mental technique can actually help you to acknowledge the challenges you face in your role without letting them completely overwhelm you. It will make your customers and the issues you encounter seem far less intimidating, enabling you to overcome your insecurities and advocate for yourself much more successfully.
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Another strategy to help “snap you out” of excessive self-consciousness is to view yourself through the lens of others and intentionally think about yourself from their point of view. This can help you to escape a spiral of insecurity, as by consciously shifting your perspective to think about how your customer views you, the situation changes immediately. The customer doesn’t know that you’re feeling doubtful or unconfident about your ability to carry out your role. They don’t think you’re unequipped or lack the sufficient knowledge to help them. They are simply coming to you with an open mind, in need of your assistance. They don’t doubt or question your ability to do your role, so why should you? This technique also has a few other benefits. You’ll become more empathetic, as putting yourself in their shoes will help you to better understand their needs and concerns. You’ll also feel more validated, as by not getting caught up in self-doubt or feeling like you’re not doing enough, you’ll instead be able to focus on the positive impact you have on customers. This will allow you to build a stronger sense of pride and confidence in your work.
It may sound obvious, but one of the easiest and most effective ways to overcome self-doubt in a customer service role is to actively seek out support from colleagues and supervisors. You should take advantage of any training offered to you, and you’ve got nothing to lose by requesting additional advice too. You shouldn’t shy away from seeking help from your peers. Perhaps you’re envious of the way one of your colleagues interacts with customers and consistently makes sales. It’s always better to talk to them and potentially learn something from them rather than remain complacent and do nothing to improve. By speaking up and sharing your concerns with those around you, you’ll be demonstrating a “growth mindset” and displaying a respectable willingness to actively become a better employee.
It’s worth mentioning that constructive feedback can be incredibly valuable, but make sure you’re not ignoring the existing positives of what you’re already doing too. Learning to focus on both what’s going well and where you can improve is essential. Be careful how you’re reading into feedback or what assumptions you might be making. If your manager offers feedback on how you handled one particular tricky customer interaction, don’t automatically assume the worst. If you’re having a bad day, it could be tempting to read into this that your manager is frequently disappointed in you, and you’ve got it wrong again, and you’re not cut out for the role. But was that actually what your manager told you? It can be easy to be fearful of feedback if you take it as a personal attack. But if you can put your assumptions aside and actively listen, you’ll have seized the opportunity to improve. You might even have been given some useful tips that’ll make you feel more prepared to face the next customer.
Dr Margie Warrell is a best-selling author who writes about living and leading with courage. She suggests you ‘make your mission bigger than your fear’. It’s more than OK to feel doubt sometimes. After all, you’re human. But what feelings might you have that are more significant than the doubt you experience? Maybe it’s a desire to do a consistently great job. Maybe you’ve got the drive to solve a customer’s problem and deliver incredible service. Perhaps supporting your team to thrive makes you feel a real sense of accomplishment. Decide your mission and feel the doubt shrink.
Sometimes doubt in customer service manifests itself simply because your role tends to be emotionally demanding and comes with a high degree of stress. This emphasises the importance of looking after your mental health and finding ways to relax and reduce your stress levels. Whether it’s meditation, physical exercise, deep breathing techniques, therapy, or hobbies outside of work, the significance of self-care in executing your job well can’t be understated.
This week, either at work or in your personal life, make an effort to be an active listener when you receive any kind of feedback. Listen without judgement, try not to make assumptions, and make sure not to interrupt. Set yourself up to feel more confident by remembering all the great things you’ve accomplished to get to where you are. Take time to recognise your achievements. Without a doubt, you’ll be well on your way to shoring up your self-belief.