Working in customer service is difficult. Any job in the hospitality (resorts and restaurant) industry, or really any type of customer service job, knows how exhausting it can be. People can be great, thoughtful, and understanding, but as a guest speaker for my Intro to Hospitality class eloquently stated, “People are crazy.” It really is true, guests can range from the "wow that was so pleasant, I’m glad I could make their day" level to the "are you actually serious?! How can so much crazy fit into one human" level. It can be extremely rewarding to make a great employee-guest relationship, but far too often these relationships can be a thankless dead end. I’ve heard more than one person say that the world would be a much nicer place if everyone was required to work in hospitality for a few years. But since that isn’t the world we live in, to my fellow brave hospitality and customer service workers (because I know you don’t hear it enough) let me say thank you.

As a customer, thank you for greeting me like I am the most important person you will see today. Thank you for putting up with my white chocolate triple-shot nonfat no-whip B.S. at 5:13 in the morning on my way to work when you have already been there for an hour. Thank you for saying “have a good day” and meaning it. Thank you for moving quickly when you know I might be running late for work, and taking the time to ask me about my day when you can tell I’m not in a hurry. And, especially where I’m a regular, thank you for remembering my name, order, and pretty much my life story.

As a fellow employee in the industry, thank you. Thank you for pushing yourself to serve someone else and make their day. Thank you for the countless hours of inventory, cleaning, and all the dirty work that goes into making an experience look clean and effortless. I know the work that you put in, and I applaud you for waking up and doing it every morning. Thank you for sticking to your policies when many a guest has yelled at you for doing so, and for bending the rules and accommodating only when absolutely appropriate. Thank you for having the same passion for going above and beyond with customer service like I do, and giving your best every day in what you do. As an entry level employee, thank you to the managers.

Thank you for your constructive criticism and commitment to making me a better employee. Thank you for not talking down to me, but rather working hard to include me in the process and pushing me to be better. Thank you for working with me on a mistake I’ve made a thousand times without losing your patience, and applauding me when I get something on the first try. Thank you for staying in customer service long enough to be able to train me, and for keeping your passion even after years of dealing with people's crap. Your great stories and wisdom do not go unappreciated. Thank you for treating your employees with the same respect and kindness as you would treat a VIP.

From the employees that stand in front of guests and take the heat all day to those behind the scenes making it happen, everyone in this industry deserves a thank you. You have helped create so many memories for your guests, and created an amazing work enviornment for your employees. In an industry where thank you note-writing is basically an art form, I hope I did it justice in this note. So, to all my fellow customer service employees, just because you don’t hear it enough for all the hard work that you do, thank you.

Feel free to pass this along to anyone in customer service who deserves a thank you. Be it a manager, busboy, or CEO alike, everyone’s hard work deserves to be recognized.