Why Everyone Should Work in Customer Service (At least once)

I haven't had the luxury of being in one job a long time - I've worked a variety of jobs from my mid-teens up until now. Bagboy at a grocery store, sacrificial lamb - er, customer service at Wal-Mart, customer service at Radioshack, over-the-phone technical support for everyday Americans at three different jobs, and currently I am still doing over-the-phone support, but for a more "select" group.

Which one of the above doesn't belong? If you guessed the last one, you're correct! It's the first time I haven't been at the whim of average John and Jane America. And you know what? It's a great change. I'm still doing support over the phone, but the people are a lot more understanding, a lot more patient, and a lot friendlier.

Up until now, I've seen the best and worst that America can offer, and everything in between. I've helped the people who are so grateful for my assistance that they say how wonderful I am and offer to introduce me to their single daughter. And, I've also helped the people who curse every other word and would just as soon step on my face as say hello. I've heard and seen it all.

Sadly, I would say about 75% of those people were overly negative in their attitudes - calling me names, telling me how worthless I am, threatening to get me fired, threatening to sue me and the company I work for. There were days that tried my patience and my very soul. I recall a time shortly after my grandmother passed away. One day at work was especially trying - I dealt with a lot of bad, bad people. At one point, I dealt with one of those people who thought that their Internet connection being down for a mere4 or 5 hours meant that the world hated her and she just had the worst life ever. She decided to take much of it out on me. Out of my mouth was the junk that the company made us regurgitate - "I'm sorry to hear that," "I understand your frustration," etc, etc. But in my head I was thinking "people are dying in a war overseas, millions of people have incurable diseases, my grandmother just passed on - and you think your Internet being down gives you the right to think you're the unluckiest person in the world, and gives you the right to treat others like crap?" After several minutes of abuse, I snapped. I hung up the phone, threw down my headset, yelled out "$@%%$# this job," and walked outside for some air. I came back minutes later, thankfully with my job still intact.

But, I've learned something in my years of being the target of so much negativity. for one, barely anything gets to me anymore. Situations where, in the past, I may have panicked or freaked out, no longer phase me. Secondly, whatever negative thoughts I had about my life, such as being disliked by religious deities, or thinking my life just plain sucked - those thoughts are gone. Suddenly my life didn't look as bad anymore after dealing with people like the woman above. It made me think, "do I really sound like that?" I really thought that when listening to a woman cry about her Internet being down - yes, she cried.

But more importantly, it helped reinforce respect for my fellow human beings. Knowing the toll all the negativity took - I couldn't bear to subject anyone else to that negativity. It just isn't right. I'm a little wiser, a little more patient. When I call some kind of support number, sure, they may have no idea what I'm talking about, they may not know how to fix it, they may be following an annoying script, but I'm not going to treat them badly because of it. It's so easy to treat someone poorly over the phone, because you're not looking at that someone in the eyes as you call them names or tell them you're going to get them fired. It's a power trip, one that people shouldn't embark upon.

So I say that for once in their lives, everyone should work some kind of customer service job. Especially over the phone. Once you find out how horrible people can be, you start to look at your own behavior, and you should be better for it. This especially goes for all people who have lived with lots of money most of their lives (I'm looking at you, Hollywood). Think you're better than everyone else? Work customer service for a week and see how low people can make you feel.

All you teenagers out there, 9 times out of 10, your first job probably won''t be the most glamorous. You may be doing it just for the money - to get a car, to help pay for college - pay attention at that job. Not attention to the job itself, but more importantly, to the people.

Everyone should work in customer service at least once. There might just be a little more respect out there.