You’re working in a call center and the pressure is on. How do you stay calm and productive?

1 Breathe and relax

One of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce stress is to breathe deeply and relax your muscles. When you feel tense or anxious, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid, which triggers your fight-or-flight response. This can impair your judgment, communication, and concentration. To counteract this, take a few moments to inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, and release any tension in your shoulders, neck, and jaw. This will help you calm your nervous system, lower your heart rate, and improve your mood.

3 Focus and listen

One of the key skills for a call center agent is to focus and listen to the customer. This will help you understand their needs, expectations, and emotions, and provide them with the best solution. To do this, you need to avoid multitasking, interruptions, and background noise, and use active listening techniques, such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and asking open-ended questions. This will show the customer that you are attentive, respectful, and empathetic, and increase their satisfaction and loyalty.

5 Reward and celebrate

Finally, one of the most important ways to stay calm and productive is to reward and celebrate your achievements and efforts. Working in a call center can be challenging and exhausting, but it can also be rewarding and fulfilling. To acknowledge this, you need to recognize your progress and successes, no matter how big or small, and treat yourself with something that makes you happy or relaxed. This could be a snack, a break, a compliment, or a thank you note. This will boost your motivation, confidence, and morale.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?