All my life, I've felt so bad for people working in customer service. I have some family members that are incredibly rude to anyone doing them a service, and so many of my childhood memories involve trailing behind these people and apologizing to anyone they were mean to on their behalf.
Recently, I started working a largely customer-service-based job myself (at a tourist attraction) and you would not believe some of the things that have been said to my coworkers and me.
However, that is not what this article's about. I believe that if by some miracle everyone was required to work some customer service job for at least a few months, the world would be a much better place. Here are four reasons why.
1. It teaches people to be nicer to people working for them.
Like I mentioned above, it's unbelievable how rude some people can be. If there was genuinely something we did wrong, it would be a bit more justified, but generally, the rudest comments come from situations in which I tell people what the rules are and they don't like the rules.
One of my coworkers almost lost his job because a customer was so upset about him telling her something was against the rules that she wrote our boss a lie-ridden email, saying that he said a lot of things that he actually didn't.
If everyone had to go through this, they might think twice before yelling or writing a complaint.
2. It builds empathy.
Elevate
Sometimes, something just isn't working and it isn't in our control. A lot of things at my workplace are old and breaking down and we just have to make do with what we have.
However, rude customers don't see it the way we do. They can be told that things aren't working, but they don't have that first-hand experience of trying desperately to function normally while hoards of people are complaining about the problem. To them, it's an extreme and unacceptable inconvenience that we are voluntarily choosing not to fix.
If everyone had to go through this situation at least once, the next time there would be some sort of malfunction or inconvenience of some sort, they will have more empathy for the people working there, now having the knowledge that it's probably not their fault and that they are just as frustrated as the customer is.
3. It exposes people to different kinds of people from around the world.
I've previously written an article about the importance of knowing geography and worldliness and that opinion still stands. Knowing about places from around the world will make you a more empathetic and knowledgeable person.
My job is at a tourist attraction, so every day, I interact with customers from around the world. Knowing a little bit about where they come from (such as language and customs) can be really helpful when working with them. They are always so happy whenever I can say something in their language, even if only a few words.
Having everyone work customer service would quickly expose people to other cultures, even further expanding their empathy for people they don't know.
4. It teaches patience.
Clem Onojeghuo
You haven't truly had your patience tested until you've worked a customer service position. Whether it's waiting for someone to finish ranting to you, begging you to bend the rules for them, or finding money, chances are you will do a lot of waiting without being able to tell them to hurry up.
Working in customer service will teach you many valuable lessons in patience when dealing with difficult or slow people.
I know it's impossible, but I do think that the world would truly be a better place if everyone had to work in customer service at some point in their lives. It's an important lesson in empathy for those who are just trying to do you a service.
