I was working with a client not that long ago and jumped right in and took a few phone calls. Man, it must have been a full moon or something because I spoke with some crazy people that day. If you have worked onsite for any period of time, you know that the multifamily universe does have our share of “cray-cray” people!
I had someone yell at me because the United States Postal Service didn’t deliver her package into the mailbox or package locker and instead kept it at the post office. The mail carrier left her a note letting her know of this and she was ticked off at me because USPS did this.
Now, of course, I wanted to say, “I don’t work for USPS! If you have a problem with the UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE have you considered calling the UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE???”
Now, since I teach customer service for a living, and since I like this gig, I figured I better not say what I wanted to say. So, I tried to grit my teeth through it-and even though I did my best to help her, she still had a conniption, yelled at me one final time, said some things that I cannot print here and hung up on me.
I don’t know if she ever called the United States Postal Service.
So, how do you handle them??
One: Do not become the problem!
One of the most important things you can do is to resolve not to become the problem. Let the problem be the problem, but don’t become the problem yourself! So … if you’re about to say something that you know will pour gasoline on the fire, don’t do it! No matter how much you want to!
Remember sometimes it takes more strength to keep your mouth shut then to let it all blast out!
Two: Ask specifically what you can do to make the situation better
Once someone is done complaining, venting, being upset, kindly ask what you can do to make the situation better. “I can see you’re frustrated … what can I do?” Sometimes just your kindness will be enough to shake them out of the crazy storm they’re in.
Three: Remember that their crazy doesn’t have to be your crazy!
One of my mentors once told me that whenever I was with unhappy, unhealthy, toxic people, I can’t just watch the movie happening in front of me, I don’t need to be an actor in the movie. That helped me a lot when dealing with people who are not in the right frame of mind. I realized that I didn’t need to jump into their storm and didn’t need to play a part in their movie-I could just watch it acknowledge their perspective and move on with my life.
Four: Sometimes you’re the crazy one!
What helps me deal with the “cray-cray” people is remembering that sometimes I’m the cray-cray one too. I’ve been upset at customer service reps (especially cell phone, airlines and cable company) and I have let them have it. I’ve had bad days where I’m just a jerk to everyone I interact with. I hate it when other people cut me off on the freeway, but sometimes I cut people off too!
Remembering that I sometimes fall into the same traps that other people too humbles me enough (most times) to remember to interact with people with grace and healthy boundaries.
What are some things that help you deal with these people??
