Customer Service Day

I think it’s safe to say that most people hate working in customer service. It’s an often degrading, humiliating experience where the person buying your goods or services thinks everything is your fault (I’ve worked in food service, though I hear retail, product services, etc. are all the same) and takes it out on you—sometimes quite cruelly. We used to have this theory that customers are not really themselves when they are buying something (particularly food); that they are more aggressive and monstrous than normal. Sometimes, though, I think that they’re actually themselves. Some people think they’ll get better treatment by being mean, and some bullies just never grow up.

All of that noted, why not try to spend one day—January 17, specifically, is Customer Service Day—being saccharine sweet to every customer? For every red-faced Joe (or sputtering Jolene, for that matter) who screams at you, get your Zen face on and think, “He’s just like me, just trying to do the best he can.” Here are some tips and tricks I used to use when I worked in customer service.

Always make eye contact and smile. This usually makes people smile back at you, and if they don’t, you just keep grinning like an idiot. They usually think you’re an idiot anyway, right? (I used to get so angry about the stereotypes that followed my fellow coworkers and me; I met some of the brightest people I’ve ever met working in the food industry, just making their way paying for classes, bills, families, etc. like anyone else.)

Avoid confrontation. Don’t argue, don’t challenge a customer’s reasoning if you sense this is going to get over your head; call your manager immediately, if possible, before a war erupts. We used to get drunk customers all of the time who would be so belligerent and crazy that all we could do is just wait for them to leave. Another tip—if you do have a drunk customer and you work in food, you can usually get them to totally go for suggestive sales!

Go for “sir” and “ma’am” with certain people. Not everybody likes being referred to this way—I certainly don’t—but your elderly patrons, your irate customers, and very girly women and very masculine men tend to go for it. Not always—and I don’t mean to stereotype here!—but it can often dissuade a temper.

Avoid the huffy sighs, the eye-rolls, and the other natural body responses. I know you want to do it so badly! Just wait until after your shift.

And for anyone who doesn't work in customer service, how about giving those who do a hand and remembering that they're just doing their job.