Ever since I was 17 years old, I've had a job working face to face with people, serving them to the best of my ability. Working with so many people on a daily basis means there are the customers who are great and then the customers who are, well, not so great. Through nearly four years working where I do, with the customers I've had, I've learned a lot of life lessons. I hope others in customer-service positions feel the same way and maybe even start utilizing my lessons where they are employed.
1. Always smile.
Every interaction with a customer should be done with a smile, because not only will they appreciate your positive attitude, but they are also more likely to reciprocate it. This will make for a most pleasant interaction and will leave a lasting good impression on the customer.
2. Not everyone will be nice to you.
So you took my first lesson to heart and smiled at the first customer of the day, great! But uh oh, they are not being so nice to you. Unfortunately, a big lesson I've learned is not everyone will be the nice customer with the lasting positive impression I mentioned before. This will happen from time to time, but if you keep smiling and have a positive attitude you'll get through it.
3. Let the pleasant interactions keep you motivated.
Speaking of staying positive and getting through the bad interactions, it's very important to take the positive interactions you have with customers and let that be what keeps you positive in your work. Once a customer told me I had a wonderful personality. I kept that with me when a customer once said I was "lazy" and made a "stupid mistake." I can remember that there are people who are nice in the world. I can know that their positive remarks will stay with me longer than the bad ones.
4. Everyone makes mistakes.
I, alike everyone on the planet Earth, am not perfect. I make mistakes in my daily life all the time, and at work is no exception. It's OK to make mistakes because, just like every other mistake you make, you will learn from it. They will make you a better employee because the next time a situation comes up, you won't make that same mistake. Instead of beating yourself up for what could be seen as a simple mistake, you take it and learn from it. Even CEOs make mistakes, so it's OK if you do too.
5. It's not OK to treat someone who is serving you badly.
Even when I go to other places of business, I know that most likely the person who is serving me is under a lot of stress, so if they make a mistake or take a little longer than usual, I am still nice because that's how you treat someone serving you. Being on the other side as the server, I empathize with them. Even if you're not someone who is in the customer-service field, taking the time to realize that the person serving you is a human who has feelings will significantly improve your interaction with someone who is helping you.
6. Working together and communicating with your co-workers is key.
This point I cannot stress more. I work in an environment where communication with my co-workers has to occur if we want the business to be successful. If you need something, you need to voice it, and if someone is voicing their need, you have to copy so they know they were heard. It's easy for things to get lost in a potentially chaotic environment, but if you rely on your co-workers and work hard to communicate, you will be successful.
7. Talking to people is a lot easier once you do it for a living.
I used to be unbelievably nervous talking to people I didn't know, and it became a problem in my life. When I started working at my current job, I had to learn to get over my fear because I would be talking to strangers every day for at least a good minute or two each. I learned to be more confident in myself and learned that talking to people isn't so bad, and working in a job that forced me to do that helped tremendously. I still can get nervous talking to people I don't know, but I know working in customer service has dramatically decreased my nervousness.
8. Manners are important.
Saying please and thank you for when you are being helped by someone else should be automatic. Unfortunately, this is not the case for every person you encounter, even if you're out in the world not at your place of employment. Treat people how you would like to be treated, simple as that. Telling the server please and thank you lets them know hat they are appreciated and it will make for a pleasant experience. The worker helping you is doing their best to assist you, probably under some stress, so being verbally appreciative is a great way to make the interaction positive.
9. There are pros and cons to every job.
I tell everyone about the good parts and the bad parts I experience at my job, and almost every time, the person I'm talking to has their own pros and cons for their job too. There will always be good and bad things about every job; it's a given. Some jobs may have bad hours or bad benefits but could have great management and is overall a fun place to work. You just have to make the most of it and use the pros to remind you why you chose the place you work at — unless the cons significantly outweigh the pros, then it's OK to consider another place of work.
10. I am grateful to be able to be employed somewhere.
There are many people out of work, but I am lucky to be employed somewhere where I have the opportunity to make money for myself. There will be bad days, but in the end, I am able to make people happy with my service and at the same time make money. For every thank you I get, it makes my day and makes me remember why I do what I do. I am grateful to be employed and to have people supporting me on the work team I have.
Overall I have learned so much from being in customer service, and I keep the lessons with me every day in order to become a better employee. There will be good days and bad, but as long as you give the best service you can, you will always be successful.
