Being a customer service representative (CSR) is honestly one of the biggest underrepresented jobs I have ever seen. I know the title sounds fancy, but for those who don't know, a CSR is someone like a cashier—someone who is there to help you with your shopping experience. While this is not always a hard job, this job can take a toll on you in ways you did not expect. If you've worked in customer service, you know what I mean. For those who haven't, let me explain.
One very common occurrence for any CSR is to have your customers take their bad day out on you. This can range from being slightly rude to talking to you as if you're their therapist. They will 100 percent tell you exactly how their day has gone up to this point, and they may want your input. It's best to just nod your head and try to listen, as they most likely just need to let out a little steam. While it is difficult not to take these situations seriously, holding a grudge against a rude customer is really unnecessary, as it's usually a one time only occurrence.
Then there are the customers with which you discuss the weather. It's a light topic that can keep the interaction from being silently awkward while they wait for the transaction to clear or for help from the back. The weather is really a go-to subject when it comes to breaking an uncomfortable silence.
Regular customers are some of the most reassuring customers in the book, simply because you will generally know what they came to your store for and how long they will be. You can have pleasant chats with them or just wait in silence as they swipe their credit cards as soon as they can. But it's not uncomfortable silence, because you've come to realize that that's just how they are.
In between talking about the weather and regular customers, are the people who go to any store for their social time of the day. In my case, it's generally elderly people who come out to buy lottery tickets and talk with anyone who might show up in the store. A lot of the time, they seem to just have a lot they want to say, and only a comment of acknowledgement is necessary. But you know these people as soon as they come in, because they come in almost everyday.
In all of these types of customers, there are customers that will always stick out to you. Customers that you see almost every day that you work, or at least once a week. Customers that have the chance to discuss life outside of work with you. The customers that you actually find yourself thinking about when you aren't even at work. These are the customers that make going to work seem a little more enjoyable.
You might not know their names, but you know about what time they will come in and what they are after. You know that these people have made a change in your life, no matter how small, and you have done the same for them.
Working in customer service has many different meanings for different people, but this is certain: This is a job that requires more than repetitive action. This is a job that requires you to care.
