It seems like with every job you have to deal with people. Whether it is your boss and co-workers, or- in most cases -- it is a customer. This fact becomes gospel when you work in the customer service industry. From restaurants, hotels, to retail, and everything in between, those who work in customer service knows the great trials of dealing with people.
People can often be difficult, demanding, and downright disrespectful towards those devoted souls working in customer service. There are certain lessons you learn when you work in customer service. Here are just a few things you learn after years in the customer service vortex.
1. Mastering the art of being fake.
When I first started working, I wore my emotions on my sleeve. If you were rude to me, I was rude back. If you made a joke that wasn’t funny, I didn’t laugh. I had to learn very quickly that I had to appear as the cookie-cutter version of joyful.
I learned the fake smile, fake laugh, and how to kill my customers with kindness even when they are screaming their heads off at me. Being fake is kind of a necessity in customer service. Even when I imagine a rude customer getting hit by a car, I still try to act like their best friend when I talk to them.
2. Speaking up for yourself.
Because I work in customer service, I can tell when someone is trying to take me for a fool. I have zero patience for people trying to take advantage of me when I am the customer. I know the tricks that people try to pull on customers; giving them smaller portions to because they don’t want to open another container, ‘forgetting’ to mention the new promotions you’re offering, or my favorite, giving poor service because you don’t actually feel like being at work today. Not that I’ve ever done any of these, I just know from other people.
3. Spotting difficult people from a mile away.
I can tell if someone is going to give you a hard time just by how they carry themselves. It can be how they hand you their credit card, or how they answer questions or order their food. It can even be from how they talk to you over the phone. I have interacted with many different people, and had been in many situations when I have had to deal with difficult people. Let’s just say that my a-hole radar is spot on.
4. Becoming more patient.
I have become the most patient person in the world. If there is a delay in service, there is most likely a valid reason why. They can be short-staffed or be in the middle of a rush and there are too many customers and not enough workers. If it’s food related, then a machine must be broken and is causing the delay.
5. Developing more sympathy for others working in customer service.
There is a certain bond that comes with others I know who work in customer service. We all deal with the same people and the same problems. When I am the customer, I try my best to give the worker the benefit of the doubt. They are usually trying their best and working as hard as they can to please multiple customers at once. And the bond you have between your co-workers who deal with the same customers is amazing.
6. Your job has some great moments… sometimes.
You know, I’ve been talking a lot about the bad sides of dealing with customers. Sometimes you get those customers that are absolutely amazing. You can meet some very interesting and kind people when working in customer service. Not all of the customers are monsters. Some are actually pretty great.
7. The customer is not always right.
The biggest misconception known in the world in customer service is that “the customer is always right”. No, they aren’t. We can’t always accommodate a customer’s needs. Sometimes what they ask from us can be unreasonable, impossible, and can go against our policies. You are allowed to say no to customers if you cannot comply with their requests. It’s not the end of the world.
Customer service is important. The people who work in customer service go far and beyond to try to help their customers. They work hard and have to deal with some of the worst people in society. It can be good at times, and most people have worked in customer service in one way or another. Most high school and college students work in customer service and quickly learn the lessons that come in working in customer service.
