There is nothing insubordinate about asking people to tone it down, so you can speak to a customer and do your job.

Of course, you will need to make your request in a calm and professional manner. Here is a suggested approach:

Go to the loud supervisor and ask for a brief meeting. “I need to talk with you about something I need your help with. When will you have a few minutes to talk?”

Open the conversation like this: “I’m sure you’re not aware of this, but I’ve been having a customer service problem and I could really use your help. I’m all for people enjoying their work and laughing and talking in the office. But lately it’s getting so loud, I’m getting complaints and questions from customers. For example, several customers have heard so much laughing and shouting in the background they have actually said, “What on earth is going on in your office?” It’s embarrassing because I know we want to portray a professional image.

I find it very distracting, too. The other day, I was working with figures and I kept losing my concentration because of all the noise. I had to go to the ladies room to keep from yelling at people to pipe down.

I don’t mean to sound petty and I sure don’t want to be a wet blanket—we all enjoy a light atmosphere. But it would really help if people toned it down a little. I also don’t want to have everyone think I’m a whiner or complainer who is spoiling all their fun. So, I really need your help to communicate this.”

Hopefully, your supervisor will quickly see that she has contributed to this problem and will offer to stop using her speakerphone for her calls. If she doesn’t pick up on this, suggest it. “One thing that would really help is to use your phone’s handset. Or, if that’s inconvenient, use one of those headsets with a microphone for your calls. I’m sure you don’t realize it but I can hear every word of your conversations.”

This is a reasonable request and your supervisor should act immediately to fix the situation. She should change her own behavior and ask others to do the same. She can say to other loud coworkers, “You know we’ve really got to tone it down around here. Customers on the phone have been hearing the laughing and loud talking and are making comments about it. I’m going to use my handset from now on, since I know I can be loud myself. So, let’s all lower the volume, okay?”

In fact, your supervisor should be pleased that she has an employee who is concerned about customer service and the firm’s professional image. I’m sure many supervisors reading this wish they were as lucky.