66: Self-care in Support with Ulrike Pitzschke

Charlotte Ward: 0:13

Hello and welcome to episode 66 of the Customer Support Leaders Podcast. I'm Charlotte Ward. The theme for this week is self-care in support. So stay tuned for five leaders talking about that very topic. I would like to welcome to the podcast today Ulrika Pitchka. So, Ulrika, this week the topic is self-care in support. So can can we explore that?

Ulrike Pitzschke: 0:43

Yeah, of course, no problem. When I started working out in support and I started as a one-woman show, so I did all the support for Yazio by myself, which were about 1,500 tickets a week with more or less uh nice customers. Some of them like forgot about the rules of how to communicate properly. Most of them like really had problems or questions, and I was like confronted with so many people that needed an answer from me, which continued when I finished work because the same basically happens in your private life. A boyfriend asks something, or family wants your help. So I really got a bit overwhelmed actually with especially in support, you have like the feeling you never finish, you never get anything like finally done because the number of tickets rises during the day and you stop where you started, basically. For me, it was really important to learn like to set boundaries, once technically and also emotionally. And uh the special fact for me as well is that I'm working remotely, so I'm a hundred percent remote, no team around.

Charlotte Ward: 1:49

So you have no immediate support network, and and at that time you were it was just you, so you have no one even in the same function, even if they happen to be on the other side of the planet. So so what did you do? How and what strategies did you employ to set boundaries and to reduce that sense of overwhelm?

Ulrike Pitzschke: 2:08

On a technical side, I switched off my push notifications for my phone, which also applies to my private life now. So I like I don't react all the time, but I started acting when I wanted to act, and I got a like a really clear routine switch between private life and uh business. So I started to get a proper morning routine, like doing some yoga or some meditation, and that doesn't have to be like one hour and a half, but it can only be like 10 minutes or something, and there are lots of YouTube videos to do it, so it's pretty easy to get started. Yeah, then I uh started work and after work I tried to go out, get some fresh air or get some fresh air in between as well. Emotionally, I found it very helpful to get some like buddies or a network. So I met with some people that work in customer support roles uh for lunch, for example, to get some chat. I work in a co-working space. Uh so I have like some co-workers that are not in the same topic, but at least you can like rant a little bit in the in the kitchen.

Charlotte Ward: 3:14

Yeah, that's kind of valuable anyway, isn't it, to have uh colleagues who aren't in the same functional space as you uh or organization. I think I think that it really helps you with a sense of perspective and and inspiration anyway, I think, but but just a greater sense of perspective sometimes, as you say that support day can be a hamster wheel, you get off where you started.

Ulrike Pitzschke: 3:36

Yeah, definitely. And I think it's really hard, especially if people insult you, which happens unfortunately. Then it's really hard if you just cannot share it with anybody because you will like have it all in yourself and you will not be able to get it out. So it's really important to find people you can talk it through with. Maybe not do it with like your your boyfriend or girlfriend, because then you still take like the work with you in your private life. But maybe you can find like some online uh network or other people working in the same role. And for me now, of course, since I have like one or yeah, one and a half employees, I say, it's much easier for me now because I can like chat to them and we can share experience, and then it doesn't feel like that heavy, it doesn't feel like a burden I only have on my shoulders. So that's basically what helped me a lot to like have people around and talk it through.

Charlotte Ward: 4:33

Which of those single things would you advise everyone goes today and and does? What would be the first thing you'd recommend?

Ulrike Pitzschke: 4:39

I'm actually a really big fan of the morning routine. I think you can really start small with it. It doesn't have to be like getting up at four.

Charlotte Ward: 4:47

Yeah.

Ulrike Pitzschke: 4:48

And of course, fresh air is really important to get your head clear. Um, especially when working remotely, you sit like in your desk at your desk and you just forget the time and you don't go out.

Charlotte Ward: 4:59

So it's so it's about boundaries, isn't it? It's about the transition from one to the other. Yeah.

Ulrike Pitzschke: 5:04

So also I tended to like take my phone with me, and then I wasn't really off. I was like walking, but sitting on uh walking on my phone and still like checking the Slack notifications or send us notifications, stuff like that. I try to leave my phone at home and I go out for a walk for like 20 minutes. And I also realized nobody will die because of that. That's very true.

Charlotte Ward: 5:31

Yeah, it's very true. And unless you're a paramedic, then it it really most of it can wait, can't do it. And certainly, certainly for a few minutes while you while you take a breather, get off the wheel every now and then.

Ulrike Pitzschke: 5:45

Breathing is a good one as well. I implemented the routine if I have something that really makes me angry or sad or something, step back and breathe. Maybe just one breath or maybe five minutes meditation, whatever fits in. But that really helps as well to like cope with it and then get back and write a better response than I probably would have done right away.

Charlotte Ward: 6:10

Right, but isn't that important? Because we're talking about self-care here. But actually, if you look after yourself, you you are much better able to look after your customers.

Ulrike Pitzschke: 6:19

Yeah. Actually, I'm I'm not a big fan of saying self-care is good for self-optimization because that's not what what this is about. It kind of is, but it shouldn't be the focus. So I shouldn't do meditation just to get better at my work, but I should do it really for myself, and getting better at work is like a nice side effect.

Charlotte Ward: 6:40

That's it for today. Go to customersupportleaders.com forward slash sixty-six for the show notes, and I'll see you next time.