Techniques for Overcoming Demotivation

It's not uncommon for employees to suffer from periods of demotivation, especially when working as a service provider. But if demotivation lasts too long, it can compromise customer service. Part of sustaining excellent customer service is knowing how to motivate yourself and those around you. Learning to apply established motivational techniques will help to re-energize you and your team during periods of demotivation.

• Establish value.
  Each motivator must have value for you or the person you wish to motivate. So you need to observe individuals, ask value-based questions, and find out whether they're internally motivated (determination) or externally motivated (cash bonuses). This takes conversation, interaction, and observation.

Value doesn't necessarily mean high cost either. You may find that time is precious to you and, therefore, work breaks are very motivating for you. Others might value recognition or status more than time. You must also recognize that people's values shift and change as they grow. What is valuable as a motivator one month may not be six months later.

• Take control.
  The second motivational technique concerns taking control. Whether you're motivating yourself or others, you need to have an element of control over the motivators you plan to use. If you can't be in control of how, why, and when to use a motivator, then it won't work. For example, you can't try to pump others up with a particular motivator in mind, only to find that the motivator wasn't accessible to you.
• Consider low-cost motivators.
  The third motivational technique is to consider low-cost motivators. Sometimes spending a few minutes alone to organize your office can be motivating. This doesn't cost much. Don't always rely on motivators that break your piggy bank. Here are a few more motivational suggestions:

a long lunch break
a helpful book or video
a thank-you card or note
a one-hour massage
a phone call to a friend

• Reuse motivators.
  The fourth motivational technique is to reuse motivators. This technique allows you to get the most bang for your buck by rotating items, services, or memberships from employee to employee. Motivators that are reused can also be quite effective. A company might purchase a piece of art that gets awarded to a different employee every few months. Or an employee-of-the-month parking spot can be a worthwhile incentive.

To provide outstanding service to customers, everyone has to be in top form. Unfortunately, service environments can be particularly demotivating. The service atmosphere can contribute to demotivation by:

• reinforcing the belief you're always wrong, and the customer is always right
• offering no managerial support for ongoing employee training
• presenting a steady stream of difficult and angry customers.

To apply motivational techniques, you must be able to recognize when demotivation is present, be sensitive to factors that contribute to a lack of motivation, and use proven techniques for selecting motivators that will re-energize. By calling upon all of these skills, you'll be more prepared to sustain excellent service, whether you're a manager or front-line employee.