There's a high probability that at some point in your life you have worked a job where customer service was oh-so important. If you want to get technical, every job in some way deals with customer service, just some more directly then others. As a junior in college, I have worked in retail, corporate and not corporate, I have worked with coffee and donuts, groceries, and have worked at small boutiques, and a gym. So, clearly I've experienced a little of everything, allowing me to see the good, the bad, and the very ugliest attitudes from customers or members. Even though I'm a full-time college student, I work almost full time at my job, along with lots and lots of babysitting. It varies, but on average, I can work 45-50 hours in a week. I consider myself hard-working and would agree that my friends are too. Unfortunately, there's this misconception that people in 'my generation' are lazy and rude and don't know how to work. While I'm not denying that there must be people like this, I know I don't and neither do my friends, fall under this category. I've gathered through my own experiences, everything someone in customer service would love to tell their customers (but don't.)
1. You (the customer) is not always right.
2. We are just the messenger for the boss (or corporate people) so please don't yell at us.
3. And saying 'I know it's not your fault,' to only continue to yell at us, is probably worse.
4. If a store opens at 10, and you're banging on the door at 9:59, you need to calm down.
5. You need to be patient. There's nothing worse than a bunch of people standing outside of the door waiting to get in, when the person opening IS NOT late.
6, Take a moment to say hello to the people in the store or business.
7. Especially say 'hello' or 'good morning' if the employee says it to you too!
8. Besides the standing at the door, it's so rude when I've greeted a customer and they just stare and rush by. No matter how busy or late you're running, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TIME FOR A 'HELLO' OR 'GOOD MORNING' BACK.
9. Don't forget your manners. I hope your parents taught you well.
10. If you're feeling frustrated with an employee, you can always ask to speak with a manager to get more information.
11. Just DO NOT ever demand to see the manager while pointing fingers at the employee. (Oh I'm sure if you had a customer yelling at you, you would love it if they began pointing at you...NOT)
12. Even if you don't work in retail or a food service anymore, you probably have at least worked at something similar. So remember this. WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE.
13. Even though I don't currently work in retail, when I go shopping, I always make sure to fix a pile after grabbing the shirt I wanted or I ask someone to retrieve it for me, if I believe I can't properly get to it. All in all, remember what employees go through.
14. Saying 'it's their job' to clean up your mess, does not and will never be okay and a justified answer for your rude behavior.
15. Please know AND UNDERSTAND when a store or business closes. If you are the only one in the store and the music has been turned off, there's a 100% chance the employees want you to leave. There's nothing you're doing or buying that is worth another 10 minutes past close.
At the end of the day, we're all humans who deserve to be treated as such. Always think about what you're going to say to someone before you say it. And remember, you getting angry at an employee for something they had no control over, doesn't help anyone. And as employees of customer service, we know we can't please everyone.
End. Rant.
