How Not to Treat Customer Service Staff

Top tips from someone who has worked in the industry for nearly three years

Photo by Brodie Vissers from Burst

We're likely paid the bare minimum and work most weekends — but people who work in customer service are often treated like rubbish. Being able to clock out, go home and leave our work behind after we've finished for the day may be one of the benefits of the job, but the treatment we get daily is enough to make us walk out altogether. If we had another option lined up, that is.

I've spent nearly three years working in on and off-customer service-based roles. I've been a Front House Assistant, Waitress, Bartender, Bookseller, and Barista all within that time. It's safe to say I've built up a tough skin and an excessive amount of patience over the years, but I've also got an acute awareness of how not to treat customer service staff.

To you, the young girl is just serving you coffee. You're impatient, you want your caffeine fix before the day starts, and you need to get to work. We get it. But behind everyone who serves you is a person. A person with weight on their shoulders and whole life you know nothing about.

Everybody should respect customer service workers. After all, they're what keeps the world turning around. With that in mind, let me give you some tips to take with you…