If you have ever worked in customer service, you know that there is hardly a dull moment. Between dealing with customers with very strict wants, indecisive customers and that one person who just has to argue about anything, you have many very interesting stories to tell. Whether you are waiting, working in a grocery store or even working retail, you will learn skills that you would be unable to if you were not faced with demanding people day after day. Here are five things that working in customer service will teach you.
1. Being friendly is a must.
We've all heard the saying "A smile goes a long way." It's absolutely true. Just smiling and saying hello to a customer can make their day and, in turn, make them easier to work with. Being nice and friendly with your customers also increases the chances that they will come back in the future.
How this will help you in your personal life: Using this skill will help you make connections with other people that could lead to job opportunities and other good situations.
2. Even though someone can read, they don't always do it.
One of the most annoying things while working in customer service is when you put a giant sign on the credit card machine that says "NO CASH BACK" in big block letters over the cash back button, then a customer lifts the sign and pushes the cash back button. You then have to tell them that you are not currently doing cash back and listen to them complain and ask why. In most cases, the customer is so concentrated on what they want or need that the sign doesn't even register to them as something they should pay attention to.
How this will help you in your personal life: After having to experience this day after day, you will pay more attention to the details around you. You will always make sure that you read every sign that is in front of you. Ever.
3. People can be really rude and impatient.
It is not uncommon at all for a customer to turn a small inconvenience into a BIG problem. And somehow, it's always directly your fault. If the store is packed and a customer has to wait at the end of a long line, they will sometimes be unbelievably rude to you and complain about how you have made them late for something. Like you called everyone in town and told them to come to the store at that exact moment just to mess with this person. But sometimes they take it even a step further. If you are at a gas station and someone who is only getting gas thinks the line is too long, they will just throw the money in front of you while you are helping another customer and walk away. They won't tell you what pump they were on and you don't have the time to check if they gave you the correct amount of money. In that scenario, the customer isn't thinking about the huge inconvenience they've placed upon you, just the small one that has been placed on them.
How this will help you in your personal life: You learn really quickly how to be respectful to people who don't deserve your respect. Rude people are something you will have to deal with your entire life.
4. If you wanted kids before, you might be against it now.
Now I'm not saying that seeing a tantrum in the middle of your store/restaurant will make you swear off having kids forever, but it might cure that Baby Fever right up. Working in customer service, you will see children act in a way you've never seen before. They will actually throw themselves on the floor screaming and crying because their mom told them to choose between cookies or candy when they wanted both. You will also learn how disrespectful children can be. I once heard an eight year old kid ask his mom, very sweetly, if he could have a candy bar. When she said no, he screamed, "Mom, you're a b****!" And the mom didn't respond at all. Kids today actually think it's okay to behave that way, and you'll get to see that first hand. Every. Single. Day.
How this will help you in your personal life: If you are baby obsessed, this will awaken you to the reality of everything that goes into raising a child, not just "Babies are cute!" It will also show you how kids in today's society act, which will help you decide how you want to raise your future children.
5. Decent human beings still exist.
The best part of working in customer service is that you get to see random acts of kindness all the time. Every once in a while, a customer will be short a few dollars, and the person behind them-a stranger-will give them the money they need. At gas stations, you might see someone whose car has broken down, and, again, a complete stranger will step up to help. If you work in a restaurant, you might even see someone pay their friend's bill without telling them. The absolute best though is when a customer does you a kindness for no reason. Once when I was a waitress, a customer I had never met before asked me where I was from and what I was going to college for. He then asked if he could pray for me. I had been going through a tough time and the fact that this stranger wanted to pray for me meant the world to me. These tiny, insignificant seeming acts of kindness will restore your faith in humanity. Every time.
How this will help you in your personal life: With so much bad in the world, it's nice to be reminded that there is still good.
