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If you've ever worked in a service industry, you know that it can be a formative experience. Recently, a friend and I got to talking about what our early restaurant jobs taught us about delivering great customer service—and, really, about life and work in general.
Here are 10 of our top takeaways from waiting tables, each of which has had important implications over the course of our careers:
When I was in my 20s and needed a way to support my skiing habit, I worked at a two local pizza restaurants. These weren't exactly high-end spots (although both made very good pizza), but it didn't matter: the service had to be impeccable, regardless of how much people were paying or how expensive their cowboy boots looked. Sometimes, the biggest tips came from the people who looked the least likely—who had, perhaps, waited tables themselves.
This one goes without saying: When in doubt, assume that the customer is in the right, and you—the service provider—are in the wrong. Even when you know you're right, it's best to swallow your pride. Except...
There's nothing wrong with standing up to a customer who's being unnecessarily rude or obnoxious. At my restaurant jobs, I was always fortunate enough to have managers who would back me up on the few occasions when this happened.
This may be the most important lesson I learned from waiting tables: No matter what happens, it's not about you. When a customer gets angry and screams at you, it's rarely personal; he may have had a terrible day, recently lost a loved one, or just may be an unhappy person. When dealing with angry or frustrated customers, it helps to remember that you don't know what else they might be going through, and that their anger probably has more to do with external factors than with you personally.
Few things feel worse than working hard for a tip and then getting a meager 10%—or nothing at all. While this is usually an anomaly, the best service workers know that their job is to provide excellent service, regardless of the reward at the end.
This is hard! At one point, I had three jobs, which can be tiring even when you're 25. By the end of an evening at the restaurant, I was often too exhausted to act cheerful and upbeat. But all that literature about how forcing yourself to smile actually makes you feel happier? Totally accurate.
This may seem obvious, but it can be a challenge. In service jobs, we're taught to focus our energy on the customer, not on our teammates. But successful service depends on getting help from—and giving help to—the rest of your team when necessary: you can't always do everything yourself, and inevitably, you'll need a hand. Added benefit: it helps to have someone to commiserate with when things don't always go smoothly.
The word "service" is a bit of a misnomer: often, customer service has more to do with guiding your customers toward a better experience than it does with "serving" them whatever they need and moving on to the next customer. Thinking about your role as that of a guide—the person responsible for leading your customers to maximum success and enjoyment—can make you be more successful and feel more valued at the same time.
Again, sounds like a no-brainer, but it's easier said than done. When a particular table just wasn't happy, even after I'd tried everything, I always tried to remind myself that this was just one table in hundreds, and one night in 365. That's not to say each table didn't matter—just that even the worst experiences don't last forever.
Working in customer service can be a wonderful adventure: you're exposed to people from all walks of life with all different kinds of experience and backgrounds. Seeing each customer as an opportunity for learning and exploration—rather than a warm body that must be fed and dismissed—can make the job a lot more interesting.
Want to learn more about 20 customer service best practices? You can start by visiting our website, or download the free e-book below.
