Analyzing Mental Health in Workplace: Customer Service Strategies

This report examines the critical role of mental health in the workplace, specifically within the context of customer service interactions. The assignment analyzes a scenario involving an angry customer and explores the reactions of an employee named Emma, as well as the impact on bystanders. It delves into the ethical considerations of the situation, highlighting the importance of appropriate responses, such as remaining calm, valuing the customer, and adhering to company policies. The report proposes several strategies for managing difficult customer interactions, including politeness, active listening, and offering solutions. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for the employee to prioritize their own well-being by seeking support from managers and apologizing to other affected customers. The report references relevant literature to support its analysis, highlighting the importance of maintaining healthy relationships with customers and promoting a positive work environment.

Running head: Mental health in the Workplace
Mental Health in the Workplace

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Mental health in the Workplace
Reactions which were there on Emma’s face were surprising and shocked because of the
shouting of the customer. It was a sudden notice that Cusimano started shouting even when it
was her mistake. Because of this reason, she actually gave the keys to Cusimano of other lady’s
room.
Reactions of Emma was that she gave the keys to Cusimano while she did not actually
want to do that as she knew already that it was ethically wrong what she did. Rather the correct
action would have been asking her to wait till 3 PM (Kenhove, 2003).
When Cusimano entered into the hotel, she was already angry and irritated and she
started the conversation with Emma very rudely. Hence, all the frustration was thrown out at
Emma. There were people who were sitting in the lobby and they were definitely getting
disturbed by this conversation. The reactions of the bystanders displayed that they were not
enjoying the conversation at all and also the way Cusimano was reacting.
In case if I would have been in the shoes of Emma, I, on the first place would have asked
the lady to cool her temper. Second, Cusimano was on the wrong side of the coin as she did not
read the terms and conditions before booking the hotel. Hence, I would never have given the
keys of someone else’s room to Cusimano as her room was not ready. If the hotel had guest
house, Emma should have given that room to Cusimano so she could get ready for the meeting.
If no rooms were available and if she was unable to handle a customer like Cusimano, then she
should have called her manager or the boss (Bovopoulos, Jorm, Bond, & LaMontagne, 2016).
There are some of the strategies which could have been used for the angry customers.
 Valuing the Customer: The customer should always be made to think that they are being
valued.
 Politeness: The voice of the person handling the customer should be down and polite at
the time of talking (Forbes, 2013).
 Calm the user down: The customer should not be given a single chance to be loud.
Particularly when the other customers were around. Instead Emma should have tried to
calm that lady down.

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Mental health in the Workplace
 Usage of new Strategies: There is one more strategy that Emma could have accepted her
fault even when she was not at fault. This way the ego of the customer would be satisfied
and this would help the customer to calm themselves down.
 Nothing Personal: The relationship with the customer should not at be taken personal.
 Giving Solution any how: At last, the solution of the problem will clear everything.
Hence, the customer should be given a solution which calms them down.
People who actually were in the lobby became concerned and at the same time disturbed by
how loud Cusimano was. Now in this case, Emma could have calmed her down because she
needed a break at that moment to think clearly and ethically. Also, other people who got
bothered by this incident should be given an apology and made them feel valued (zendesk,
2018).
Reason behind using such strategies were to calm Emma down and start freshly again with
the customers like Cusimano. This way she could maintain healthy relation with the
customer. On the other hand, an apology to the customers would always makethem feel that
they are also valued and the hotel people wants to give them good experience in their hotel.

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Mental health in the Workplace
References
Bovopoulos, N., Jorm, A. F., Bond, K. S., & LaMontagne, A. D. (2016). Providing mental health
first aid in the workplace: a Delphi consensus study. BMC Psychology , 4 (41).
Forbes. (2013). 7 Steps For Dealing With Angry Customers. Retrieved July 24, 2018, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba/2013/08/02/7-steps-for-dealing-with-angry-
customers/#2281636c6d27
Kelloway, K. E. (2017). Mental Health in the Workplace: Towards Evidence-Based Practice.
Canadian Psychology , 58 (1), 1-6.
Kenhove, P. V. (2003). The Relationship between Consumers' Unethical Behavior and Customer
Loyalty in a Retail Environment. Journal of Business Ethics , 44 (4), 261-278.
Nguyen, T. M. (2015). The Impact of Ethical Sales Behavior on Customer Loyalty: A Case from
Vietnam. International Journal of Business and Management , 10 (3).
zendesk. (2018). The 16 Customer service skills of great customer service agents. Retrieved
August 10, 2018, from https://www.zendesk.com/resources/customer-service-skills/