Have you ever worked in customer service?

[the game]

Have you ever worked in an industry that handles customer service? Like working in a restaurant or store? What was your experience like and did it change the way you respect or treat other people in customer service positions today?

I've been in customer service many times over my life time and It has taught me to respect the people who are helping me in stores or bringing my food in a restaurant. I personally think that all younger people (teenagers) should have to work in it at some point before turning 18. I see it all the time some young person treating a waitress or driver, or a guy stocking shelves like shit because they have no respect for the people doing the jobs.

[Ryme]

Looked awful, I'm pretty sure I'd blow up in a rage quickly so I avoided it.

[zenkai]

Have you ever worked in an industry that handles customer service? Like working in a restaurant or store? What was your experience like and did it change the way you respect or treat other people in customer service positions today?

I've been in customer service many times over my life time and It has taught me to respect the people who are helping me in stores or bringing my food in a restaurant. I personally think that all younger people (teenagers) should have to work in it at some point before turning 18. I see it all the time some young person treating a waitress or driver, or a guy stocking shelves like shit because they have no respect for the people doing the jobs.

Yes, in high school and during college. It sucked, made me hate people.

[Docturphil]

I worked at McDonalds when I was 14 until I was 18. I hated that job. My favorite thing to do was work on the grill because it didn't involve communicating with customers, but I didn't get to do that very often.

After that I worked at a place called Pump It Up which was an indoor place where they had a bunch of bouncy houses. You could pay for private parties and they had times for open sessions as well where anyone could come in. I hated that job too mostly because it involved standing around making sure kids weren't trying to spin on their head or do stupid shit which might get them injured. But most of the time I would stand there and stare into the abyss. Boring as fuck job.

Then I worked at Papa Johns as a delivery driver. That job wasn't bad because I enjoy driving. But it still involved customers.

Had quite a few other jobs since then but nothing else that was really "customer facing". Now I'm a software developer. I never have any face to face contact with customers, which is just great.

I'm not sure my experience in customer service has changed how I treat customer service workers. I still treat them all with respect and kindness until they prove to me that they're incompetent. Then I might lose my patience a bit. But honestly that doesn't happen too often and when it does it's usually some clueless teenager at McDonalds or some fast food place.

[Puupi]

Yes and I hate people.

[Maischou]

Have you ever worked in an industry that handles customer service? Like working in a restaurant or store? What was your experience like and did it change the way you respect or treat other people in customer service positions today?

I've been in customer service many times over my life time and It has taught me to respect the people who are helping me in stores or bringing my food in a restaurant. I personally think that all younger people (teenagers) should have to work in it at some point before turning 18. I see it all the time some young person treating a waitress or driver, or a guy stocking shelves like shit because they have no respect for the people doing the jobs.

Broadband provider, five years. Really enjoyed my time there despite the low wages and dead-end job prospects. Only the increasingly frequent pink slip sweeps got me moving forward into college. Most importantly, I guess I learned that despite your genuine desire to help people, sometimes tech or company policy was keeping you down, hard. If I didn't respect people in customer services (or other people-facing jobs) before, I certainly do now. Might be my general demeanour, but I'd claim I'm very patient with service reps, and I'll never raise my voice against one.

I agree with your second point, fully. I think that no one should get to adulthood without working a job with a lot of human interaction. Get a lot of human contact for a few years, people from all walks of life, learn to communicate with strangers, perhaps learn some manners in the process.

[CarlingBlackLabel]

Yes, I worked in customer service from around 1999 to 2007, mainly in call centres for various insurance brokers. Quite frankly, people can be vile and it at times really sapped the strength and will to keep doing it from me.

Now, however, I am out and about everyday as a network engineer one of the UK's largest ISP and love it! As I am charged with looking after the network, my demarcation point is the street side cabinet so I rarely have to deal with actual paying customers, which suits me just fine!

[Dread Pirate Phayde]

Done it for most of my working career, it's like anything else, it has good customers, and asshole customers, you're happy to see the good ones come back, roll your eyes when the assholes don't keep their promise to shop somewhere else. I worked specifically in the pet industry for a number of years, and my best takeaway was watching people's animals grow up, and see how they'd light up when you remembered their dog, cat or fish.

[Hawthorne Wipes]

Yap, I taught me how rewarding is when people thank you and value the service you're providing them.
Also thaught me how fkin stupid are the rest, and to avoid any kind of work that would put me in the same again

[Deleted]

Was a pool lifeguard, and a large part of the job is customer service.

What I learned is that most people are fine, but some are filthy, stupid and entitled.

[breadisfunny]

yeah i currently work in a customer service type job as a cashier. it's mostly pleasant though there are the cases and customers where you just want it to be over and move on to the next customer....(trying to word it carefully as i still work in one.). Then there are the customers that are a delight and you look forward to seeing them again. overall it is a somewhat fun job as it provides a source of income and something to do and helps develop my lacking social skills. ( i have adult adhd even with my meds i am very hesitant to open up at all and off them i regress to the maturity of a 10 yr old.) summer is the worst time as the garbage starts stinking really bad when we have to empty it (one time there was even maggots in it....ewww) and hours are very low as all the young employees become available for more shifts and the front end gets very low hours (less than 10 a week for everyone.)

[Pyro1990]

I have worked in the mobile department of best buy for about two years. Learned quickly that the average person is a dumbass and doesnt know what they are talking about. Then there were the people that came in and raged at us for something thier carrier screwed up. That always drove me up a wall.

[Dug]

Yep and it too made me more patient and understanding with customer service since I know the shit they have to deal with. I quit and vow to never go back because working with customers, especially in public is absolutely rage inducing. Sometimes people are just shit at their jobs on purpose though so I'll complain if necessary but that's super rare and I can't remember the last time I got upset with anyone in customer service.

[Deleted]

I did for several years, not that bad really. It was very dull, but not hard or stressful or anything,

[Deleted]

I've worked in various forms of customer service for roughly 6 years, mostly callcenter stuff and two years of working in an home electronics store (which was like 50% customer support and 50% actually selling shit).

I actually like it. Unique problems to solve almost every time.

[Jimusmc]

i couldn't do it. id get arrested first day knocking the first asshole out.

[Ihazpaws]

1 year as a taxi driver (night shifts only). I was a driver, customer service guy, priest, psychiatrist, best friend, fiancee, secret lover, child, mother, police, greatest fear and trash can. Being taxi driver is ultimate versio of customer service.

[Video Games]

I worked at a target as a cashier in east la and it was awful because I was the only white person in 10 square miles and hardly any of the customers spoke english unless they got their kids to translate. They also would complain about a 1-2 cent price difference on a tag compared to the scanner.

Besides that I only work at restaurants in the back of the house because yay food and I am too shy to work front of house.

[Katsuii]

I have worked for a few call centers. They were all pretty similar, regarding what I had to do. There were good days, bad days, boring as hell days, and just "sigh" days.
Dealing with angry people calling me because they were charged something they didn't want to be, wanting to cancel whatever service, calling to pay their bills...

[Xerra]

It can teach you patience and a general respect for what those who are in that field go through in general, but there is one thing that to me stands out. The longer I work there the more faith in humanity I lose; don't get me wrong I enjoy meeting new people and working with the public. The harsh reality though is common sense is not common, people can't read signs, and overall majority of humans seem to be rather dumb. As a Notary Public as well the thing that baffles me most is the fact that so many people don't understand that a witness has to see you do the act... Like seriously?