Chin up! I?ve found that (un)motivating phrases such as this one tend to be said by someone breezily walking by you - without a care in the world - just as you?ve got off the phone emotionally and physically drained from talking to a customer in a vulnerable situation.  

The more we understand about vulnerability, the more many of us are coming to the conclusion that, actually, it's about good customer service and experience. Yet before the term vulnerability was widely adopted used, businesses and organisations up and down the country were already helping customers who needed a bit more support, all under the banner of customer service. However, it was hit and miss at times and customers were not always treated fairly.    

Rather than being the exception, we?re learning that being vulnerable is part of life and that all of us at some point are going to need a bit more support than we normally would. It's great that many businesses are recognising this and wanting to do the best for their employees and their customers. And in case you were wondering, I mentioned employees first on purpose.

In a world of increasing technology and self-service, we still find that a significant number of people feel the basic human need to talk to and connect with another human being when they have a problem.

But because of this ?enquiry funnelling? we are increasingly asking and expecting our people on our frontlines to have more of the kinds of conversations that most of us would normally run a mile from having with our own family and friends. Expectations that are a world away from the skills call centres have previously looked for and that are being increasingly recruited for.

What has this got to do with resilience? Quite a lot. Ever heard of ?empathy fatigue?? It's something that creeps up on you over time, silently, and with grim determination. I?ve heard of many good people leaving jobs because they became too hardened to the things they were hearing. It became too much for them.

Sometimes customers tell us things that can take our breath away. Customers can find themselves in awful situations and at that pivotal moment in time, they turn to your business for help - they talk to a person in your business for help.

Are we truly equipping and supporting our frontline people to be able to have these conversations? Do we know how to help them help customers from a safe distance? To help them stay resilient, to still care, be who they are and not fall foul of ?empathy fatigue??

With this in mind, UK Finance and the Money Advice Trust have launched a programme of workshops called Vulnerability Focus to help frontline staff with practical support, tools and processes so they feel better able to communicate and support your customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Part of this programme includes a workshop on Personal Resilience - giving  staff the knowledge, skills, and confidence to set and manage boundaries, understand their own triggers and how to look after their own well-being.

To find out more about the Vulnerability Focus workshops, click here, or contact us at: training@ukfinance.org.uk