Working in customer service isn't always easy, even if you love your job. Whether it's the service industry or hospitality industry, employees have to make customer satisfaction their number one priority. No matter how much you like your job, "the customer is always right" mantra can get tiring. We've all been there, we know that all it takes is one mean customer to ruin your day, but no matter how frustrated you are you just have to smile and act like it doesn't bother you. One of my favorite things about my job is problem-solving, I genuinely enjoy making a guest's experience better if I can. But sometimes, there really is nothing I can do, and people can be pretty nasty when that happens. It's especially demoralizing when you're going out of your way to help someone and they're ungrateful. Maybe it's because I've always been on the service side of things, but I would never in a million years treat someone like they don't matter just because I'm unsatisfied with a service. I wouldn't treat someone like they don't matter ever. Sometimes you're just the first face an angry customer sees and they lash out at you because of it. If you're a server, you've probably been blamed a time or two if your table's food isn't ready, even though you're not the one making the food. If you work in the hotel industry at the front desk, you've probably had a guest get upset with you about a room situation that you have no control over.
To anyone who has ever been demoralized by a customer, I'm sorry. To anyone who has ever had a bad day at work because of how you were treated, you deserve better. This may seem like common knowledge, but sometimes you need to be reminded of it. We spend so much of our lives at our jobs, and when people belittle you and treat you like crap it can have a big impact. The good thing about encountering cruel people is that it keeps you humble. It still sucks, but you can find comfort in the fact that you're a kind, hard working person. At the end of the day, there is no rhyme or reason to it, sometimes you are just people's scapegoat and it's unfair. Just breathe. Know that how people treat you is in no way a reflection of you or your work ethic, it's a reflection of them. In most instances, you have to stick with the "customer is always right" mentality, but if anyone is ever cursing at you, screaming at you, or just treating you like you're scum, you don't have to put up with it. People can be rude, but at the end of the day, you shouldn't let it bring you down. Working in customer service can be a thankless job, and even though one entitled person may treat you badly, the customers that appreciate what you do make it worth it.
