Justin Crotty wasn’t always the Senior Vice President and General Manager of a successful company. Recently, he shared his story on LinkedIn of how waiting tables earlier in his life taught him the value of showing respect.
In the article The Gift of Struggle, Crotty details a tough time when he had to wait tables to make ends meet. This challenging but humbling experience showed him the ugly side of humanity, and played a huge part in the way he treats people today.
This is what Crotty had to say of his experience:
“Anyone who has ever waited tables understands that you are subjected to all manner of people and behavior. Most customers were pleasant and kind. Some were overly generous and giving. A small but persistent percentage were absolutely horrible. It is that small, horrible percentage that I thank for the experience. Thank you for teaching me that, while I was at my lowest point, while I was barely scraping by, that it was apparently perfectly acceptable to you to walk in and treat me like dirt for no reason whatsoever. Thank you for teaching me how never to treat another human being for the rest of my life.”
Crotty’s experience is very real to many who work on the front line in customer service. Many customers are unnecessarily rude and uncaring, and seem to derive some sadistic pleasure from creating a terrible experience for employees and other customers. They use the adage ‘the customer is always right’ as an excuse to be disrespectful to people they believe are there ‘to serve’ them.
But one key thing about customer service and human behavior in general must be noted. People tend to want to match the behavior of the person they are interacting with. Therefore, in the same way smiling with even a total stranger most times will elicit one in return, respect shown to others will likely be returned to you.
There’s really no downside to being a kind and respectful customer. Respecting wait staff, whether at a five star hotel or at a bar on the corner, can make all the difference for a memorable experience and great customer service.