I understand how the weather affects our work attitude more than most people because I spend a lot of time thinking about customer service and the home services industry. When the weather is terrible, things at work ramp up. Sometimes the temperature means that we will be busier than normal, or whatever is falling from the sky might make travel around our area challenging. No matter what is happening outside, when we answer the phone we need to be better than the weather.

The first step is to remind yourself that this happens all the time, and there is no reason to get worked up about it. You can do a number of things to cut down on your stress when the weather gets extreme. If you know travel will be challenging the next day, wake up an hour earlier to allow for the slow commute. Getting up early can also help if you have kids to get organized before you head off to work. Professionals are smarter than their environment. Tell yourself on the way in that you are going to have a great day and deliver awesome customer service.

Weather should be a constant conversation in your office as well. Storms rarely surprise us anymore. They might be more or less severe than predicted, but, for the most part, we have sufficient warning. Make sure your office is discussing what is coming and how it could impact your jobs. Planning for extremes make them go smoother every time.

And you should note that the customers on the other end of the phone will be even more anxious than normal. Not only did they discover something in their home wasn’t working correctly, and they are going to have to spend unplanned money, but they are also dealing with the weather. Be sensitive to this and take a little extra care. If they express concern about driving around, and you were already out in it, reassure them that is wasn’t terrible. If it actually was terrible, tell them that as well. These are human conversations about the place where you live and work. Don’t be afraid to relate to your customers.

Your attitude sets the tone for every customer’s interaction with your company. Your good mood might be the only good thing happening that day, so use it like a weapon to improve lives.