The ‘Armpit Smelling’ Trick: How Choo Ann NGOH Found Gratitude in Customer Service

In a recent LinkedIn post, Choo Ann NGOH shares a unique and surprisingly effective strategy for managing workplace stress, rooted in an unconventional customer service training experience from the early 2000s. Choo Ann NGOH highlights how a seemingly bizarre training exercise became a powerful tool for maintaining perspective and gratitude during challenging workdays.

The post opens with a humorous yet poignant observation about childhood aspirations versus adult realities. Choo Ann NGOH writes:

When I grow up, I want to smell other people’s armpits
No child ever said that
Yet, some will grow up doing exactly just that (See attached exhibit A)

Choo Ann NGOH recounts a formative experience working at a pioneer outsourced contact center in Malaysia from 2000 to 2003. The author’s initial career aspirations, influenced by the TV show MacGyver, led to a self-declared title of “professional MacGyver Worshiper.” However, this did not translate into traditional job prospects. Instead, the contact center role introduced a peculiar training method.

The Gratitude Check: Finding Calm in Contrast

On the first day of the job, Choo Ann NGOH was equipped with a headset, a mirror, and a printout featuring people in white coats smelling armpits. The instruction was simple: when faced with an angry caller, look at the printout, then look in the mirror, and smile. This technique, as Choo Ann NGOH explains, was remarkably effective.

According to Choo Ann NGOH, the visual reminder served as an immediate gratitude trigger. By recognizing that their job, while tough, did not involve the discomfort depicted in the photo, Choo Ann NGOH found a way to shift perspective and remain calm amidst customer frustration.

My trainer told me: Whenever you get an angry, screaming caller, look at the printout, look in the mirror, and smile
It worked flawlessly. Every time a customer lost their temper, I’d look at the photo, realize I wasn’t getting paid to sniff underarms, and immediately find my gratitude. It completely shifted my perspective and kept me calm

This experience led Choo Ann NGOH to distill two key workplace lessons:

Lesson 1: The Gratitude Check

• No matter how difficult a workday may seem, there is likely someone else performing a task that is objectively more uncomfortable or unpleasant. This realization fosters a sense of gratitude for one’s own situation.

Lesson 2: The Mirror Trick

• The act of forcing a smile, even when looking at a ridiculous image, can biologically influence the brain to reduce stress levels. This highlights the mind-body connection in stress management.

The Power of Perspective in Customer Service

Choo Ann NGOH emphasizes that customer service, while demanding, is fundamentally about perspective. The “armpit smelling” exercise, bizarre as it sounds, served as a powerful visual anchor for maintaining emotional equilibrium. As Choo Ann NGOH puts it:

Customer service is tough, but perspective is everything

The author concludes by engaging their audience, asking if others employ similar unconventional mental tricks or visual aids to de-escalate stress during difficult work situations. This open-ended question invites a broader conversation about coping mechanisms in the professional sphere.

Choo Ann NGOH’s post serves as a compelling reminder that innovative and even humorous strategies can be incredibly effective in navigating the complexities of the modern workplace, particularly in high-pressure roles like customer service.