People Who've Never Worked A Customer Service Job Usually Complain About 8 Things
Krakenimages.com / ShutterstockIf you've never worked in customer service, it might be easy to wonder why the waitstaff can't accommodate all your requests. From the outside, the solutions look pretty obvious.
But spend a few shifts answering the same questions over and over and enforcing policies you didn't create, all while trying to stay pleasant with an incredibly angry customer, and your perspective will change fast. People who haven't shared that experience tend to complain about things that appear simple until you're the one trying to handle them.
People who have never worked a customer service job tend to complain about 8 things:
1. Long lines and slow service
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Long lines are enough to test anyone's patience, especially if a customer only stopped in for one quick thing. Watching multiple people ahead of them move at a snail's pace can make them start wondering why the business can't add another register or get everyone moving faster.
The workers, though, are usually stuck with multiple tasks before they can move the next person along. What looks like slow service from the outside can actually be one employee trying to keep five different things from falling apart at once.
2. Other customers being inconsiderate
Someone who has never worked with the general public likely doesn't realize how much inconsiderate behavior employees have to deal with. It can become a whole ordeal when a person cuts the line or keeps interrupting a worker who is already talking to someone else.
These moments happen constantly, and it can be hard to keep a cool head when they do. When the person in front is arguing over a minor issue or making those around them wait, everyone's patience can start to wear thin.
3. Employees who don't know the answer
When someone is already waiting and just wants to ask a question, hearing a worker say they're not sure what the answer is can make them think that person is incompetent or incapable of doing their job. In reality, though, customer service employees aren't necessarily expected to know every detail about the business and its processes.
It's entirely possible that they're new or covering another department, or just dealing with a request they've never encountered before. In those moments, admitting they don't know and finding someone who does seems like the better option than giving a customer false information.
4. Strict store policies
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Strict store policies are often another source of frustration for customers, especially when it seems like a situation has an obvious exception. They might complain about a discount not being applied after a purchase, or employees refusing to bend the rules. Just because the customer wants something to happen doesn't mean they're always right.
What they don't understand is that employees are rarely the ones creating these policies. There may be very little they can do, even if they see why the customer is upset. People who haven't worked these types of jobs before might expect a worker to have enough power to just change it.
5. Being asked to repeat information
A straightforward interaction can feel drawn out when a customer is asked to give the same information more than once. From their perspective, it feels like a hassle to repeat themselves unnecessarily.
However, there's usually a pretty practical reason for it. Different workers may handle different parts of a request, or the next person may need certain details entered into their own system before they can do anything. It's just a part of making sure things get handled quickly and accurately.
6. Businesses closing when they need something
People who've never worked a customer-facing job might find it annoying to arrive at a business right at closing time and find the doors already locked. They wonder what the harm is in staying open a bit longer for one last customer.
What they may not realize is that the end of the day still includes cleanup, cash handling, security procedures, and a million other closing tasks. The posted hours are there for a reason, even when that reason is inconvenient for some people.
7. Having to wait for a refund or return
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A customer may expect a refund or return to be processed within minutes. They assume that once an employee accepts the item, the money should immediately appear back in their account on the spot. When it doesn't, they get impatient.
Behind the counter, returns might involve inventory checks and manager approvals. An employee can complete everything possible on their end while the customer has to wait for the financial side to catch up.
8. Getting transferred to different employees
Being passed from one employee to another can feel like a drawn-out situation they weren't expecting. After a few handoffs, it's somewhat reasonable to question why it seems like nobody can handle the issue.
Different types of problems are usually handled by various departments, so one worker might not have access to the correct system or has the authority to make a particular change. To a customer, every transfer is another hoop to jump through.
Kayla Asbach is a writer with a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
