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A new year is usually met with a fresh sense of energy, commitment, and a resolution to do things in life better or bigger. There is nothing quite like turning the page on the calendar to inspire a positive attitude toward the 365 sunrises ahead. This year, however, I sense a very different level of stamina—or rather, the lack thereof—out in the business world. I’ve decided to call it “service fatigue.”

Service fatigue is the exhaustion leaders and staff (and even customers) feel that prevents them from delivering (or appreciating) excellent customer service experiences. A stressful couple of years at home and at work has led to a variety of challenges in our personal and work lives, but the truth is, service fatigue can strike at any time. From short-tempered customers to employees dealing with stress at home to ever-changing business policies and practices, managing your business, your team and your customers’ expectations can sometimes be brutal.

For the next several months, I will unpack pragmatic ways to bust out of service fatigue for yourself and for the teams you lead. Throughout my 26-year career as a customer service and staff development expect, I have strived to provide real-world, practical actions to improve the situations we encounter in service industries. Now more than ever, I am motivated to dig deep into the “why” of our current situation—the exhaustion we are all feeling—and give you the tools, mental toughness and team vitality to sideline these energy kidnappers once and for all.

Every two weeks, I’ll share a new segment on how to bust out of your service fatigue. I’ll help you identify what causes it and, most importantly, how to fix it. And here’s my favorite part: with each new lesson, I’m hosting a complimentary virtual conversation where we’ll dig deep into the issue, answer your questions and create actionable change to reinvigorate you and your team. More on registering for these free events is below.

What’s in store as we discover together how to bust out of service fatigue? Here’s an overview:

• Session 1 – Motivation and Morale How does the internal mood of your team impact their external customer service delivery? What can you do to improve morale that goes beyond a motivational meme or lame team-building exercises?
• Session 2 – Boundaries Where does work end and life begin? Some work environments blur the line, while others keep it very separate. Find out what this farmer’s daughter (that’s me!) knows about respecting fence lines and discover how it applies to your world.
• Session 3 – The “Captain Cascade” Have you ever heard of the concept of a “captain cascade”? Don’t worry if you have no idea what that means or how it applies to you, the pop-quiz in this session will help you understand your leadership and how it trickles down to your team.
• Session 4 – Allow the Joy! I am most excited about this one. Exhaustion deprives us of our energy to enjoy the day-to-day. This segment will ensure that teams and customers can share their joy wherever it presents itself. Consider it a booster shot of good energy!
• Session 5 – Rest is Productive Like physical exhaustion, service fatigue can be diminished with enough rest or breaks. Can teams rotate responsibilities for a different view, something to change their perspective? Can managers learn to truly honor break time and off-hours? Finding the balance between getting a job done and have guilt-free rest is key.
• Session 6 – Showtime Mindset Magic Griping in the break room? Snarky online chat messages? Remember: showtime, all the time. Get in the mindset to serve internally and transition seamlessly to your external service, too.

Starting January 18, you’ll find every latest article right here—or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram to know exactly when new segments are released. And if you’d like to sign up for the virtual conversations, get registered right here.

I have to say, even as I share this outline, I am getting an energy boost just thinking about all the ways we can rewrite and reshape your tired customer service delivery.  Can you feel it too? I hope so, because I strongly believe that many of our business challenges can be solved when we focus on our people. We must continue to armor up our teams with techniques and tools that empower them to serve customers with excellence every single time. No one is going to do it for us, so let’s dig in so that we can bust out!