How To Manage Difficult Phone Calls

Handling a frustrated or angry caller is not an easy feat! While the stress and anxiety of managing these situations fade as you learn more about your job, the importance of dealing with difficult clients never fades.

When it comes to client support, dissatisfied clients air out their sentiments more than the satisfied clients. Bad news travel faster than the good. Thus, you must ensure that the client hangs up with a happier disposition.

#1: WORK EFFICIENTLY

Time is money. The more efficient you can be, the more clients you can help throughout the day. You need to address all the concerns as quickly as possible. You must be organized because clients get frustrated when they wait or when they are put on hold for a long time.

#2: BE PREPARED

Before starting the call, ensure that you pull out all the relevant files and reviewed all the notes pertaining to the case. Being prepared will help you to avoid asking for the client’s story again. After the call, take down notes on what was discussed. This will help you know what to follow-up next time.

#3: ACTIVELY LISTEN

In general, one of the vital aspects of handling difficult callers is active listening. Listen to your clients while simultaneously showing concern and getting insight into the issue. This will help you arrive at a solution.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

#4: REACT POSITIVELY

Train yourself to be pleasant during stressful situations. Practice your tone of voice and use a calm approach. At times, callers can test your patience to the limit. You must separate yourself from their emotions and treat the issue objectively. Reacting with anger can only exacerbate the situation.

#5: LET IT GO

It is worth your time to apologize for any problem or inconvenience caused. If the problem was originally the client’s fault, blaming the person will make it worse. Remember that the client should be your ally and not your enemy. Assist the client to arrive at a workable solution together.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

When the challenging call is over, take a deep breath and let it go. Hanging on to the stress of the demanding situation can affect your relationships at work. There is simply no benefit in reliving the difficult call.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Which Career Path Should You Take?

Your career has a significant impact on your future. It can affect many facets of your life such as your lifestyle, income, identity, and family. Carefully consider your options and follow these steps to help you decide what career to pursue.

#1: LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF

You must assess yourself first before choosing the right career path. Your interests, soft skills, aptitudes, personality, and values make you a good fit for a particular occupation.

What subjects did you enjoy at school? What activities have you done well at? You can use self-assessment tools to gather information about your traits. Others work with career counsellors to help them navigate this process.

#2: MAKE A LIST OF TOP 4 CAREERS

Narrow down your list of potential careers. Keep in mind that you must choose a career in which you are interested. Aim to match your qualifications and personality with your top four choices.

See if these choices feature similar skills and other qualifications. Make note of these similarities as it can help you decide what your future study options can be.

#3: EXPLORE THE LIST

Now that you have the basic information about each occupation on our list, it is time to do your research.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Look for job descriptions, further training, and licensing requirements. Learn how you can advance in a particular position. You can also research on the job outlook and your potential earnings.

#4: CREATE A SHORT LIST

Begin eliminating careers that you do not want to pursue any further. You should end up with two occupations on your concise list.

Eliminate everything with duties that do not appeal to you. Remove careers that have weak job outlooks! Lastly, get rid of careers that you are unable or unwilling to fulfill the requirements.

#5: CONDUCT IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

Narrow your choices further by conducting in-depth interviews. Find credible people in career resources such as LinkedIn. Arrange to meet with people (i.e., online, or offline) who work in the occupations in which you are interested. These people can provide firsthand experience about their careers.

Study their answers and go back to your list. Contemplate on your potential career options.

Sources: 1 &2

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Singapore’s Public Transport Fares to Rise by 3-4 Cents from Dec 26

Singapore’s Public Transportation fares will increase by 2.2% from December 26, 2021.
Following the annual fare revision exercise of Public Transport Council (PTC), it highlighted an increase of 3 to 4 cents for adults who pay their fares by card. A one-cent increase in concessionary fares for seniors, students, people with disabilities, and low-wage workers will take effect. PTC added that the prices for cash fares, single trip tickets, monthly concessions, and monthly travel passes will remain unchanged.

To illustrate, adult fares for journeys of up to 14.2 kilometers will bump up by 3 cents. This covers about 75% of public transportation journeys taken by adults in Singapore. Adult fares covering a distance of more than 14.2 kilometers will increase by 4 cents.

PREVIOUS DROP IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT RIDERSHIP CONTRIBUTED TO PRICE HIKE

“We seek commuters’ understanding that it is not possible to keep deferring fare increases as they are needed to support the rising operating costs, such as energy and wages, for our public transport system,” said Public Transport Council Chairman Richard Magnus. He stated that “lower fare revenue with higher operational costs cannot continue indefinitely.”

While PTC acknowledges that the Singaporeans are facing difficult economic circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s fare review was primarily considered due to the sharp drop in public transport ridership last year.

Public transport ridership plunged to 25% of pre-pandemic levels during the Circuit Breaker period. This is due to the restrictions and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the whole of 2020, the average daily ridership for trains and buses decreased by 40% and 30% respectively. Despite the decreasing numbers in public transport ridership, the public transport operators were operating largely at the pre-pandemic frequencies. Simply put, there was more supply than demand.

EXTRA COSTS OF RUNNING THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES AMIDST PANDEMIC

The PTC said that the public transport operators incurred a few million dollars in costs last year from cleaning and disinfection regimes as well as the deployment of staff. These measures were employed to ensure public’s safety on the ground.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Both SBS Transit and SMRT have asked for the full 2.2% fare adjustment. PTC decided to grant the full 2.2% increase to help mitigate the rising costs of running public transport services. In particular, the energy prices have risen to over 30% for the first half of this year.

PROJECTED REVENUE AFTER THIS YEAR’S FARE HIKE

According to PTC, this year’s fare hike will help mitigate the costs of running public transport services. It translates to a $34.2 million rise in fare revenue collected by the Government per year and an increase in annual revenue for SBS Transit and SMRT. PTC stated that the increase in annual revenue for the two operators translates to $4.6 million and $10 million, respectively.

The two operators will contribute approximately $2.23 million to the Public Transport Fund, to share their gains with the commuters. The Government will tap this fund to give out 600,000 public transport vouchers worth $30 each to aid households to cope with fare increase. This is the largest number of public transport vouchers issued to date.

Take note of these changes as it will take effect on December 26.

Image Credits: Public Transport Council

Sources: 1 & 2

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4 Important Things Teens Don’t Know About Finances

An eye-opening study showed that only 17% of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 knew how to manage their money. Among these respondents, 24% said they did not know the difference between credit and debit cards. Budgeting was a concern as well as learning how to save money.

One of the reasons why the teenagers lack knowledge of money matters boils down to their parents. They elaborated that their parents were not doing an excellent job in teaching them about money. Moreover, personal finance was not embedded in most of the academic institutions.

Fill in the gap by instructing your children about these important financial subjects.

#1: BASICS OF BUDGETING

Budgeting is among the biggest priorities of teenagers. Budgeting allows an individual to track where the money is going and where it needs to be. While it is tempting to accept money from your parents and quickly burn through it, it is vital to know how to maximize it.

Parents must not let their children be dependent. They will end up unaware of how to manage their finances.

#2: BASICS OF BANK ACCOUNT

Instilling in children the concepts of earning, saving, and investing is essential in developing life skills that they can use in the future. Opening a bank account or a savings account can help the teen to manage his or her own money.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Knowing the basics of bank account such as navigating through the online banking and transferring funds to other accounts is important. As there are no up-to-date teaching tools to help teens learn about bank accounts, you may take your child to the bank to get a hands-on experience.

#3: POWER OF COMPOUNDING

Compound interest is the interest on a deposit or loan calculated based on both the accumulated interest from previous periods and the initial principal. Time is the teens’ friend. They all have the potential to be millionaires someday, but the odds of attaining that goal increase sharply if they save early.

You can start by putting away a reasonable amount per month. Let it grow!

#4: POWER OF EMERGENCY FUNDS

Whether you come from an affluent household or a modest one, putting away some money for emergency use is essential. Parents may teach their children about the importance of emergency funds by painting real-world scenarios such as assigning a job per child. Ask the child what they would do if they suddenly had twins or a critical illness. Remember to keep things simple by excluding complicated jargons to your conversations.

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Make it a priority as a family to be more mindful with your money. Spend less and celebrate how money is grown over time.

Sources: 1 & 2

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Must-Buy K-Drama Merchandise & Where To Find Them

A wonderful way to look back on the past year is to recognize that countless Singaporeans were introduced to K-dramas. Loyal K-drama fans were also delighted with new shows such as the Squid Game and My Name. The circuit breaker period gave people the chance to binge-watch on these shows on various streaming platforms. Due to its growing audience, K-drama merchandise are sold everywhere!

To help you get started with your Yuletide gifts, we produced a list of the most adorable K-Drama merchandise you can purchase online.

#1: VERSATILE CANVAS TOTES

These K-Drama themed canvas totes are both functional and personal. Skip the plastic bags next time you run errands and grab one of these canvas totes instead. A Shopee store called “kfcjunjun1.sg” sells a lineup of designs including Hospital Playlist, Vincenzo, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and True Beauty totes.

Hospital Playlist and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha totes come in a variety of designs costing as low as S$4.29. While the Vincenzo and True Beauty totes range from S$4.73 to S$5.70.

#2: CUTE MR. BUCKWHEAT (BOGLEGEL) TOY

If you are a fan of Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), the Mr. Buckwheat toy is a recognizable item. Goblin revolves around the life of the immortal goblin Kim Shin who looks for a human bride to remove an invisible sword from his chest. Suddenly, a student named Ji Eun-Tak confesses to him that she is the chosen one.

Image Credits: facebook.com/bowmeowph (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God)

While shopping, Ji Eun-Tak points to a toy and tells the Goblin that it resembles him. They end up buying the toy to symbolize their relationship. Get the toy for S$18.90 at Lazada.

#3: CHILDISH DINO FAMILY SHIRT

Children and kids at heart can wear the matching dinosaur family tees worn by Moon-young (Seo Ye-ji), Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se), and Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun). These characters were the lead characters in the drama series “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay”. The series follows a life of an antisocial children’s book author and an employee in a psychiatric hospital.

Are you a Dino fan? Get yours for S$20 at Shopee.

#4: TRENDY PILLOW COVERS

Record breaking Squid Game is a deadly competition with hundreds of cash-strapped contestants and tempting prizes. It is one of the most popular shows on Netflix to date. If your friends and loved ones are obsessed with Squid Game, you may gift them with some printed pillow covers. All it takes is a quick browse through Lazada, and you will find countless options to choose from.

For instance, one shop sells pillow covers (45x45cm) for as low as S$1.89 per piece. The shop carries about thirty-nine designs. Snag a pillow case or two!

#5: FULLER-LOOKING LIPS

In an exclusive interview, Son Ye-jin’s glam team in “Crash Landing on You” shared the beauty products that they used for the actress. They used the ma:nyo Herbal Fresh Moist BB Cream, Jennyhouse Air Fit Artist Eyeshadow, TONYMOLY Back Stage Gel Eyeliner, and Jennyhouse Air Fit Lipstick.

Image Credits: facebook.com/115802663557977 (Korean Sunshine/Crash Landing On You)

Her lip color is naturally pink. Therefore, the glam team used the shade Monica Robe to enhance her lips. Get this shade at Shopee for S$34.18.

Note: Prices may vary due to sitewide promotions such as 11.11 events.

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