The University of Tulsa employs many workers in a field nationally celebrated this week.
This year, Customer Service Week runs from Oct. 7-11. Customer Service Week is a week to highlight customer service employees and all the crucial work they do for the general public.
In 1992, the U.S. Congress announced Customer Service Week as a nationally celebrated event. The holiday is celebrated annually on the first full week of October.
Customer service jobs include retail, maintenance, food service, call centers and others. According to the United States Labor Department, there were 2,972,600 employees working in service job industry in 2018.
Customer service jobs usually do not have the best hours. Workers in this field might have to work late at night, on holidays and during the weekend.
Customer service jobs can also induce “compassion fatigue,” which is caused by negative experiences with customers. These experiences can result in loss of productivity, self-doubt and even anxiety.
According to an online survey by Indeed taken by over 192,500 customer service employees, the average wage for a customer service employee is $13.09 per hour. However, as this is just an averaged value, some employees make less than that amount.
The survey also says that only 36 percent of customer service employees in the United States think that their salaries are enough to pay for the cost of living.
These are just a few reasons why it is important to celebrate Customer Service Week. Celebrating this holiday is easy; it’s as simple as saying “thank you” to an employee. Other options could be asking how their day is or writing a card of gratitude for them.
There are many different customer service jobs on campus. One example would be the people who work in the Pat Case Dining Center.
Ashley Fouts is one of the first faces you see at the dining center. Fouts is one of the cashiers who scans student ID’s to gain entrance into the dining area, but this is just one of the many jobs she does as a cashier.
Fouts has been working at the Pat Case Dining Center for two years. Upon being asked why she decided to work in customer service, she said, “I like to help people.”
Her favorite thing about her job is getting to work with her fellow coworkers. She also enjoys visiting with all the students who come through her line.
Another face you might see in the dining center is Madison Randall, another cashier for the dining center.
According to Randall, she has been working here at the university for two months. Her favorite thing about working here is that she loves talking to people and working here allows her to do that.
Customer service jobs have become a central part of everyday life. Don’t let Customer Service Week, Oct. 7-11, pass by without thanking an employee.
