I started waitressing when I was 19 years old. Although it was my first job, it didn’t take me long to get the hang of it. I am, after all, naturally friendly. However, the reason I kept waitressing for 7 and a half years was exclusively for the tips. Although a lot of people may think serving tables is easy, those who’ve worked in the food industry know that this is just not true. In fact, as I came to understand with other brief part-time jobs, customer service is truly not for everyone.
There are certain skills and traits that one must acquire to be able to handle the customer service life. I even asked some dear friends of mine to weigh in on this topic because, although some people (who clearly never worked in customer service) might think we’re exaggerating, this isn’t a job that everyone can handle correctly.
“I mean, yes, anybody can get a job in customer service…But not everybody should work in customer service,” said Emanuel De León Rivera, a budtender at a local dispensary. Emanuel, who began his customer service experience at a call center, expressed that working in customer service is a truly challenging job: “You have to really love it.”
Similarly, Luzely Colón Prieto, owner of a local supermarket, believes customers should be more aware of how they treat employees when certain things don’t go their way. “People need to understand that they’re not the only ones that go into the store. We deal with different personalities on a daily basis and we don’t deserve to be disrespected by anyone,” she expressed.
So, here are a few tips that’ll help you decide if customer service is the right job for you.
Patience is a virtue
I can say from experience that you need to have a lot (and I mean a LOT) of patience when dealing with certain people. I’ve seen ex-coworkers yell it out with clients on a few occasions and it never ends well for the employee. “You have to know your limits. You need to know when you can handle a situation and when you actually need to step back,” recommended Luzely, who also believes that employees should always ask for help if they know that they can’t handle a situation.
For Emanuel, patience requires being empathetic with people who don’t really deserve to be treated with courtesy. “You have to create a character that shows that you care. And caring is shown in problem solving. We help people under the restrictions we may have because our job is to find solutions.”
Don’t take things personally
Emanuel also reminds us that dealing with people entails that we don’t take anything to heart: “It requires a lot of patience, a lot of character, and a lot of self-confidence because we have to remember that nothing is personal.”
Likewise, Luzely says that it’s important to choose your battles when dealing with clients. Just because the customer isn’t always right doesn’t mean we have to argue with them to prove it. “Sometimes you have to give in and bargain with clients to satisfy them.” Of course, this doesn’t mean we can allow people to disrespect us. However, in this line of work, we must always keep in mind that customer satisfaction is the endgame.
You need to have certain skills
Working with customer service also requires you to have or acquire certain abilities. Ideally, you should have good interpersonal communication skills to be able to converse adequately with customers. It’s also important to know some basic conflict resolution to be able to de-escalate a situation if needed. Most customer service jobs also require that you work under pressure.
Similarly, there are some traits that come in handy when working in this field. Thinking outside the box, being approachable and empathetic, and having a positive attitude are some of the attributes that are sure to help you excel on the job.
My friends and I all agree that no matter how hard the job may be, it feels good to know that you helped someone solve a problem in the end. It’s very gratifying when people thank you for helping them…. But sadly, this isn’t the norm for everybody.
After 9 years of working a variety of customer service jobs, I can honestly say that it’s no longer for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always pushed myself to provide excellent service. I don’t consider it’s a hard thing to do if you keep in mind that you should always treat clients the way you’d like to be treated. However, I also acknowledge that my tolerance level has declined significantly during the years.
Recognizing when we no longer have the willingness to remain in character and ignore the bad things is also very important. And Emanuel thinks so too. “You have to really love this job. You don’t deserve to work somewhere you can’t stand,…. And no customer deserves to be mistreated by someone who doesn’t “like” their job.”