“I served this country! I don’t deserve this!” Being called out in front of people never feels good, especially by a war veteran.
My first customer success experience came as a cashier at a popular Mexican restaurant in Westminster, Colorado. It may come as no surprise when I say it sucked. The required shifts were nine hours, and they didn’t give breaks. It was my first job and I was sixteen, so I tried not to complain. I now know it is illegal for minors to work past ten on a school night, and also to not give breaks when working a long shift. Whatever.
When I first got hired, I thought the job was going to be a piece of cake. Free food, no manager supervision, and discounts. What’s there not to be excited about? At least that was my thinking, but then reality hit.
It turns out that dealing with hangry (hungry + angry) customers isn’t easy.
The first week I was thrown into the fire. My supervisor stationed me in the drive-thru so that I could learn how to handle dinner rushes. I was forced to deal with customers who’d had a long day, were ready with inconvenient special requests, and the cooks who didn’t speak English- and I didn’t speak a lick of Spanish.
My manager was never there, but watched my every move through the cameras.
One night, ten customers pulled up to the drive-thru five minutes before closing on a school night. To add to this, my manager called me for what felt like the tenth time that shift to yell at me about not cleaning the dining room area. Angered by her audacity, I walked out of the restaurant effectively ending my time there. The pressure got to me and I quit.
A year went by before I worked again. It was my senior year and I was focused on finishing my high school basketball career on a high note. Throughout the year, my coach demanded more out of me than anyone ever had before. I was the captain and the point guard which required me to know everyone’s spot, report to my coach about teammate’s problems, and offer my opinion as to what was best for the team. This included having one of the best players on the team, who was also my best friend, cut for poor academic performance. We also rallied from an 0–7 record to making the second round of the state playoffs. My coach didn’t believe in quitting, which led me to give a position in fast food another shot.
I had to call and ask for a second chance at the restaurant. After some convincing, my manager approved.
This time was different. I now began to realize how each position within a team is important. When it comes to customer success, this role is crucial in helping a team thrive. It’s not just about effectively dealing with customers, but also knowing the weak points in a company’s product, letting the marketing team and owner know, and offering suggestions on how to improve. Leadership and not quitting after tough altercations is essential to being a customer success representative.
In the past, I would have folded under the pressure of that veteran. But thanks to basketball offering universal lessons that applied perfectly to customer success and life, I was able to appropriately cool him down and defuse the situation. I thanked him for his service and he left.
He became a regular and we continued to talk about his war stories.
