Working jobs with social anxiety?

[Norjak71]

Does anyone here who has social anxiety hold a customer service job? How do you go about making it through the day. It's very strange because with people that I work with even if I have only known them for a few days I have no problem communicating with but with customers and new people I have a hard time even looking them in the eye. I don't get sweaty palms or anything but I get a very strong racing heart and will even ask people if they can serve the customer instead. I just get a very bad nervous vibe from it. Any thoughts on how to combat this?

 

[thecorinthian]

I used to work in a call center and I do get anxiety when the customer starts getting mad. I hated my job suffice to say and I didn't last long. I used to just lie awake at night thinking about my horrible day tomorrow. I'm deeply emotional and easily stressed especially in those days but I'm working on it with a therapist and a lot of love from people who support me.

 

[joshposh]

The remedy I can give you with social anxiety and customer service is that you need to be confident with your material and be knowledgeable with handling complaints. I start to sweat profusely when I feel like there is a cloud over me and a customer is grilling me over something I had nothing to do with. Just be quiet and apologize and try to be understanding and comforting. Normally after the initial blast of hot air, the customer will run out of steam and settle down. That is where you have to know to follow up and make things right. It's when you don't know how to handle complaints is when you stumble and fall.

 

[Sue]

I could never work in a customer service job it would be too much for me. Once when I was in high school I tried a job as a telemarketer. It lasted all of two hours and they let me go. I was so relieved because I knew as soon as I started it that it wasn't for me. It was the worst two hours ever. Now I am a graphic designer for a company. I do not have to deal with customers or talk to anybody aside from my 5 co-workers. I have my own office and for the most part don't see anybody which works great for me. They only come around when they have orders that I need to fill. I can't imagine any other job that would work for me.

 

[majorcupcake]

I can only do it if I'm extremely busy and don't have time to think myself into an anxious state. I didn't mind working fast food when I was younger because I didn't have time to think about all of the people on the other side of the counter. I was running back and forth fixing orders. Now, when they would get mad at me because their fries were cold or whatever, that's a different story. Most of the time, I would just tell them to hold on and let me get the manager. I also waitressed for a while and did fine when it got busy.


On the other hand, I can't do customer service if things are slow paced, such as the receptionist at a doctor's office. This is a nightmare for me. I also hate answering phones.

 

[WorkAtHomeGal]

I have worked in a store before waiting on people. And for me I had good and bad days. Days I was alone the whole time were hard for me... I hated when people would grill me about something or get cranky because of a big line on a Friday night. I couldn't make eye contact and that job ended after a year. I tried at least. I have worked in 2 call centers and the last one I did was the worst, I ended that job in 2014. The call center environment was just so negative. Employees unhappy so I was unhappy, no one liked the boss or job. And on top of that the career politics and rude customers. It was over the phone, but when people yelled at me it reminded me of my dad when I was a kid and that was very hard to deal with. I don't think I could do customer service unless it was very limited interaction I would much rather be behind the scenes though.

 

[wayz12]

Since I was little, I had this rather irrational fear of calling someone, especially someone I don't know. I hated it when my mother would ask me to call someone for her. I would pretend that the number is busy or that I'm having a conversation with someone and that the person she wants to talk to is not home.


I remember a period in my life when I was really desperate to have a job, and the only job available was as a telemarketer. I can still remember the night before my first actual day on the floor. I just finished the three-day training and was informed that the next morning, I will start. I was driving home and and I was talking to my husband. I was so scared, I didn't want to go to work the next day. I just want to quit right there and then. I was crying and practically screaming at him telling I couldn't do the job. He calmly told me that if I feel that way, it means that it is something that I really need to do. It is a fear that I have to face.


I did go to work the next day. I was scared but I survived. I lasted a couple of months, but when a former employer called me back, I did not hesitate to quit that telemarketer job. I still would say it was a very difficult experience for me, but I'm sort of glad I did it. I'm not saying I'm comfortable talking to strangers now, but I'm definitely better at it than before. Sometimes, even when the fear is so strong, you just have to do it. Sometimes the only way is through.

 

[justsayyes]

If you can't leave your job, just fake it til you make it. Working in a customer service fields requires you to be friendly and approachable otherwise it's not going to work. You just have to remember these strangers don't know you and your life story.

 

[amy88]

I have - and I have actually worked in contact centers before where I had to answer calls all day. Phone calls in a personal context make me anxious but I think to a degree when it was work based calls it wasn't as nerve wracking because you knew they were calling for something that most of the time had a simple answer and that's all they wanted - no real small talk.


It is tough though - but I do think call centers are probably easier than face to face customer service.

 

[Surrender]

I think you are actually in an ideal place to get over your anxiety. Because if you are in a situation where you are going to have repeated exposure to what you are anxious about, well, that is how anxiety lessens and the situation becomes more common place, instead of anxiety provoking. But as long as you keep allowing yourself to avoid the interaction, by having someone else handle it, the more your anxiety will be reinforced.


I would consider it like free exposure therapy you are getting paid for

 

[DDNatureLover]

From the responses, it sounds as if many here have also held this type of position, and have learned to cope with the stress that goes along with it. I have held these types of positions before, and during those times, it's helped me to try to gain a mastery of the material, so I knew as much as possible about the job, so I'd be in a position to feel qualified. I've also learned to 'put on' a face for customers, and sort of play act the part, which can help to alleviate some of my personal stress. Another thing that helped me was to tell myself that it was a stepping stone to a better position. This was particularly helpful when that was the truth, when I was in school obtaining training for a different type of job that would pay better and enable me to have more autonomy over my work and schedule, since the type mentioned are very low on those factors.

 

[eric]

Customer service can sometimes be overwhelming due to having multiple people lined up wanting you to do something for them all at once. Plus much of the time you may have other side tasks to do as well. I have a method to approaching situations like this. I make a point to just focus on one thing at a time. This method works at school or in my personal life as well. By doing this you will perform much better at your job. Instead of having to go back multiple times to fix your work to get the outcome you want. No point in getting upset about something you can't control. Only deal with what you have in front of you. The rest can wait its turn.

 

[Roscas]

Customer service work is stressful. I have tried it. Could not hack it. This was when I discovered I developed a heart condition when sent by the company doctor to have myself checked. Customer environment itself is stressful, too. I have been in it.


Allow me to elaborate. When the shift is about to begin, the worker prepares to set-up the tools. Prior to that day, regular feedback was discussed. You could have gotten a call. You were marked down due to your stats in handling phone time. Or you could have been commended for a good job done the previous shift. The calls start coming in. You get an irate caller, cursing you and so on. You have to remain polite and courteous, be patient, actively listen. You put the phone on hold or mute (just fraction of a few seconds) and cursed or shout without sound ***f....***. You go back to your call. The call ends. Then immediately another caller is handled. She is crying. She is begging. Her husband just died that is why she could not keep up temporarily with the account. You listen. You either genuinely empathized and felt for her or you pretended because it is your job. The call ends. Another gets through. The caller calls you stupid. He thinks you do not understand what he is saying and you do not know what you are talking about. You try to explain, patiently. You are trying to control your temper.... you are getting pissed. But you remained calm and ended the call as a professional. But the Quality Assurance guy caught your call, listened to it and gave you a mark down because that was how he assessed your call.


Imagine yourself going through all those emotions all through out the day for 9 to 10 hours every day for 5 or 6 days a week. Would that not cause anxiety after shift and before shift?


Now, you try to take refuge and relax with co-workers or colleagues during breaks (to smoke or munch a bit) and after shift, you go out with them to drink before going home and sleep. (That is a common routine of customer service workers.) You drink, you converse loudly because the background music is constantly loud in places they go to. The conversation circles around what calls they got that shift, they vent out each other's thoughts and feelings. If not that, they talk about who is sleeping with whom. Or they talk about flimsy and mundane topics just to pass the time until it is off to bed and sleep long enough before the work shift begins.


In the workplace, there is always competition among teams and co-employees because that is the set-up for higher points gained, for incentives, for performance ratings, for team incentives. This set-up sometimes lead to power-plays and intrigues and 'talks''.


Am I speaking of own experience? No. This is a common tale among different customer service companies here. This story had also been documented and featured in newspapers, magazines and a few TV network talk or investigative/documentary shows.


The anxiety level and stress felt in the customer service field is high, strong and wide. It would be nice if companies would take time to truly look at the effect and impact of the daily grind that happens in their companies and be innovative enough to come up with programs and projects that will help in addressing the levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace. After all, it is the human labor that creates the profit for them. It is but fitting that they take care of the human factor humanely and the result would be better quality productivity from them to generate a more sustainable and stable business. This might even minimize the attrition rate in such companies...... lessening costs incurred from training new hires almost every six months, if not three months.


Although, there are some who, due to initiatives of the team leader, would actually conduct team buildings for enjoyment and fun.... like going to the beach as a team with families invited and the team funds saved being used for team members to shell out for the activity only a minimal amount. (But due to limited funds, more often they end up drinking together in one of the team members' house.) Others found the courage to go against the tide or the norm and not join drinking sessions after shift and simply go home or meet up over coffee with a friend or few friends and talk about matters important to them like life and family, their plans for their future, and veer away from talking about work and their calls.


I say courage because one can easily get sucked-in in the culture of customer service workplaces and if one is not into it, one can be looked down upon or feel a sense of isolation and disconnection.


To answer the question? Customer service work is definitely a stressful and anxiety driven kind of work.

 

[Roscas]

Customer service work is stressful. I have tried it. Could not hack it. This was when I discovered I developed a heart condition when sent by the company doctor to have myself checked. Customer environment itself is stressful, too. I have been in it.


Allow me to elaborate. When the shift is about to begin, the worker prepares to set-up the tools. Prior to that day, regular feedback was discussed. You could have gotten a call. You were marked down due to your stats in handling phone time. Or you could have been commended for a good job done the previous shift. The calls start coming in. You get an irate caller, cursing you and so on. You have to remain polite and courteous, be patient, actively listen. You put the phone on hold or mute (just fraction of a few seconds) and cursed or shout without sound ***f....***. You go back to your call. The call ends. Then immediately another caller is handled. She is crying. She is begging. Her husband just died that is why she could not keep up temporarily with the account. You listen. You either genuinely empathized and felt for her or you pretended because it is your job. The call ends. Another gets through. The caller calls you stupid. He thinks you do not understand what he is saying and you do not know what you are talking about. You try to explain, patiently. You are trying to control your temper.... you are getting pissed. But you remained calm and ended the call as a professional. But the Quality Assurance guy caught your call, listened to it and gave you a mark down because that was how he assessed your call.


Imagine yourself going through all those emotions all through out the day for 9 to 10 hours every day for 5 or 6 days a week. Would that not cause anxiety after shift and before shift?


Now, you try to take refuge and relax with co-workers or colleagues during breaks (to smoke or munch a bit) and after shift, you go out with them to drink before going home and sleep. (That is a common routine of customer service workers.) You drink, you converse loudly because the background music is constantly loud in places they go to. The conversation circles around what calls they got that shift, they vent out each other's thoughts and feelings. If not that, they talk about who is sleeping with whom. Or they talk about flimsy and mundane topics just to pass the time until it is off to bed and sleep long enough before the work shift begins.


In the workplace, there is always competition among teams and co-employees because that is the set-up for higher points gained, for incentives, for performance ratings, for team incentives. This set-up sometimes lead to power-plays and intrigues and 'talks''.


Am I speaking of own experience? No. This is a common tale among different customer service companies here. This story had also been documented and featured in newspapers, magazines and a few TV network talk or investigative/documentary shows.


The anxiety level and stress felt in the customer service field is high, strong and wide. It would be nice if companies would take time to truly look at the effect and impact of the daily grind that happens in their companies and be innovative enough to come up with programs and projects that will help in addressing the levels of stress and anxiety in the workplace. After all, it is the human labor that creates the profit for them. It is but fitting that they take care of the human factor humanely and the result would be better quality productivity from them to generate a more sustainable and stable business. This might even minimize the attrition rate in such companies...... lessening costs incurred from training new hires almost every six months, if not three months.


Although, there are some who, due to initiatives of the team leader, would actually conduct team buildings for enjoyment and fun.... like going to the beach as a team with families invited and the team funds saved being used for team members to shell out for the activity only a minimal amount. (But due to limited funds, more often they end up drinking together in one of the team members' house.) Others found the courage to go against the tide or the norm and not join drinking sessions after shift and simply go home or meet up over coffee with a friend or few friends and talk about matters important to them like life and family, their plans for their future, and veer away from talking about work and their calls.


I say courage because one can easily get sucked-in in the culture of customer service workplaces and if one is not into it, one can be looked down upon or feel a sense of isolation and disconnection.


To answer the question? Customer service work is definitely a stressful and anxiety driven kind of work.