While in college, I worked as a waitress, now referred to in more politically correct terms as a server. This was probably one of the most physically demanding and difficult jobs I have ever had, but also one of the best learning experiences.
One of the restaurants I worked at was a chain restaurant that tried to offer a fine dining experience. The cozy leather booths were deep and relatively private, the lighting dim and the muzac twinkled softly through the speaker system. We had a number of regular customers who we either looked forward to seeing or dreaded.
One customer who I waited on a handful of times came in every Sunday for the early bird special. She was a middle-aged woman with blunt cut brown hair who never smiled and would request the exact same booth each time.
She occupied her time by reading a book––and complaining about every detail of her meal and service. The steak wasn’t cooked quite to her liking. The salad didn’t come out fast enough. The food she said was abysmal.
The first time I waited on her I was hurt when she left and didn’t leave a tip even though I’d worked hard to accommodate her many requests. Another waiter told me not to worry about it. This customer never tipped anyone and came in every weekend despite how horrible she claimed the food and service to be.
Adversity is part of life and learning to patiently manage these types of personalities is a valuable learning experience. But, positive comments go a long way, too, toward creating an empowered, confident workforce.
Many teens are flooding into the part-time work force this summer. Here’s how to be a good customer to kids who are just learning the ropes of customer service:
Be patient. Keep things in perspective especially when dealing with teens. Kids make mistakes. They are still learning. And for the most part, many of them care about doing their jobs well. Consider how you would speak to the teen if he or she was your child or a friend’s child.
Avoid bullying and intimidation. Adults who scream, yell and bully kids working customer service not only set a poor example in front of their own children about how to manage their irritation and treat people in retail, they aren’t achieving anything constructive. If you make this mistake, be sure to apologize in front of your kids, too.
Use positive reinforcement. Tell your customer service rep when he or she is doing a great job. Customer service is hard work and chances are these kids are receiving more negative comments than positive ones. Give their confidence a boost with a little thoughtful encouragement.
Managing incompetence or blatant disrespect. We are all guilty of losing our cool from time to time especially in light of obnoxious behavior or total disregard for our needs as the customer. In this situation, it makes sense to seek out the adult manager to address the situation proactively.
Overall, don’t steer your child away from customer service because you are afraid of how he or she will be treated. I firmly believe every adolescent should cut his teeth in a customer service capacity at some point.
Customer service builds resilience, patience and teaches kids how to work through conflict and proactively manage unhappy customers. It is a skill that will help them no matter what career they eventually go into.
And, most of all, your kids will learn how to treat others in the service industry politely and respectfully because they appreciate it when they are treated that way themselves.
Photo courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos.net/Amenic181
