Aspies working in Customer Service or Sales

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I was just wondering how many of you take on the daunting task of working in the customer service or sales fields and how you cope or like it?

I've basically only worked in Customer Service and Sales so it's all I really know... Because I have so much experience in it, I make a good amount of money in this field from employers that no other position has been able to offer me without extensive schooling. I make on average $48,000 a year (Give or take bonuses and taxes REMOVED) which is more than a lot of my distant NT friends.

It is quite taxing on me though, but I feel if I didn't work in this field I'd basically be an anit-social hermit with fewer social skills. It's taught me a lot.

Most of my work history -- of which I've had A LOT -- has been spent in Customer Service of one form or another. It depends on the format whether I really could handle it well.

Even though I'm terrified of crowds and socializing in groups (and dating, but that's for another thread), I'm pretty good with one-on-one interactions. If I'm dealing with a customer, I can talk and joke and interact well with them, AS LONG as I ignore the fact that there may be ten people in line behind them. It also helps a great deal that I'm behind a counter. If I have to step away from it to help someone, my anxiety ramps up. In the supermarket, where I work now, I find that because I'm so open, and likely to joke and flirt and say rather bluntly honest things, I tend to get reprimanded quite a bit. The boss sometimes thinks I need to not be quite so open. Another problem is that for some reason, grocery store cashiers get treated by customers as if we are turds on the bottoms of their best shoes. It's so hard to hold your tongue when you've have five douchebag customers in a row. But hold it you must, for "the customer is always right", even when they aren't.

This is where convenience stores come in. I much prefer them to traditional grocery stores, They are more relaxed, and if you work evenings or nights, there are never any bosses around telling you what and how to do your job. They just leave you a list of things to do, and you take care of it. That's important for me. Another plus is there isn't going to be as many customers in the store at any one time, so that stress level is lower. The downside is the always-present possibility of robbery (been there, not fun)) and the money stinks, even less pay than supermarkets. And from a moral standpoint, it doesn't hold up to supermarkets. In grocery stores, you're mostly selling food and drink, which is helpful and important to humans' health and well-being. In convenience stores, I'm selling beer, cigarettes, junk food and lottery tickets. Sort of a one-stop vice store. That messes with my personal moral code, not to mention the morality of working for Big Oil and selling their polluting products.

I have also worked in what could be called an "internal Customer Service" venue. I've worked in a couple of corporate libraries. I'm still helping customers, but it's always the same people because you all work in the firm together. There's something to be said for that familiarity, but it tends to get boring. I like the idea of seeing a combo of regular customers and the occasional new faces -- once again, the convenience store wins out. One positive -- the money is WAY better in a corporate environment. But those kinds of jobs are going away, because many of the things I used to do for people -- find information, order books, etc. -- people can do themselves via the internet. My dream job is in a University library -- helping people find things to help them learn, being surrounded by books...heaven. Unfortunately, the closest university is 60 miles away.

It was hard as hell at first for me to do jobs like this. But my first couple were easier because the first one was in a store where my mother worked, so I had her there in case I got in trouble or scared. And the 2nd was in a small neighborhood store where I knew many of my customers beforehand. The library jobs were particular hard because it involved a lot of phone work, which at the time I had a terror of. But like anything else, I got used to it. It comes down to doing what you what you have to.

Yes, working in customer services really helped my soical skills. I found it quiet stressful and I now have a job where I do have to deal with customers every day, but I definately think that learning about customer care and how to offer good service and how to handle angry customers is worth the effort. Not only does it provide good skills for future work places, but it also helps in every day life.

I worked in retail/customer service for years, burning out badly in each short lived job, until I had to just get out and never take a job like that again. Sure, it forces you to practice social skills. But even the putting into practice of those skills was exhausting to me. I have no problem "doing" "normal" social skills -- I am even quite charming and was popular with customers in the stores I worked at. BUT IT COST ME. I suffered from constant burnout from the efforting of producing those lovely social skills.

I took up housecleaning for a living and it's the only thing I've stuck at for years rather than a scant few frustrated months, because you are largely alone with your thoughts -- ideal for me.

Personally I wouldn't recommend customer service and retail even for "learning" social skills. It's a road to burnout in my personal experience. Good luck to anyone for whom it wasn't or isn't, but it damn near killed me.

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I worked as a cashier for a while at a grocery store, it was OK for the first while, but it started getting really demanding and I actually started becoming more antisocial. Eventually I swore at a customer, and got kicked off, and I was transferred to the deli. Less customer interaction, but the customer interaction I had to deal with was just as annoying, and along with my anxieties surrounding sanitation and food prep, eventually I couldn't take it and I just quit. I'm unemployed right now, and aside from the money and the fact that I had something to do during the day, I don't miss working for that grocery store. I had a few friends who worked there too, but I can contact them outside of work.

Yes, I strongly relate to that. The demands actually made me more anti-social because I got burned out on having to keep that up for eight hours a day, five or six days a week. I started hiding in the stock room or at the very back of the store pretending to be busy.

Being forced into a very socially demanding job in my opinion doesn't necessarily help your skills so much as burn you out on them so badly that you want even more to never leave the house again.

I did it for a few years and it was a nightmare.

Pc Tech support: I liked it since there was no selling or lying to people. There's a problem and im there to fix it.
...but then they begun to push us techs to sell upgrades it turned horrible.

Customer service ...worst job ever. Being exposed to people's whining and their stupidity (oh really? your cable got turned off? maybe its because you didn't pay the bills for 3 months... you mad bro?)

Sales is without a doubt the most stressful job I can think of. You need heavy socializing skills plus you must lie like your job depended on it (because it does) just to sell the thing. If the client doesnt like it after they bought it they can call customer service to complain...I got my money. (mentality).

Only one job I've had was truly 'professional' in the sense I was not dealing with the consumer but rather other companies. It was very nice and I enjoyed it. However, after a couple of years the company decided we could do our job PLUS do customer service to consumers on the phone at the same time. After all, we can type emails and read contracts while the consumer cries and whines on our headsets right? /ugh

I spent about 4 years doing customer service jobs like that, and, also luckily, the first were with my Mom. Not only did she deal with people when I couldn't, I also got to watch how she interacted with people (who all LOVE her) and started emulating some of her behaviors. Having a 'script' to follow when putting customers at ease or dealing with talking down people who are starting to get agitated still continues to pay off for me.

However, I am with BirdInFlight... it gets to you after awhile. The constant stress of people trying to pick fights, etc so they can get free stuff or getting all mad at stupid things when you know there's no reason for people to be mad, and, my favorite, the ones that see me start to get agitated and keep poking at me (having me run back to the kitchen 6 times for things for their to-go orders or whatever, just smirking and enjoying me biting my tongue or stimming and just hoping I'll flip out on them...)... it's messed up the power trips some people go on when they know you can't retaliate or you'll be fired.
Don't get me wrong, working in an office still has me encounter people with power trips, but, it's not as silly and pointless as a restaurant or retail customer doing it to you.
While I have so much more responsibility now, and more to lose were I to get fired, it's a totally different kind of stress, because it deals with my performance and capabilities, not the temperament of some histrionic moron walking in off the street.

I have spent my whole life intentionally avoiding these type of jobs because even before I knew about Autism I knew these jobs were bad for me.

I did have interaction with clients over the phone. The good part was no eye contact and they were about specific problems with software I had written. The bad part was it was problems that I created and trying to find the real problem which was often different from the stated problem.

THIS. Oh yeah. When I hear a user go around and say 'X feature was turned off' and me, being so literal, I'm like, no, that wasn't turned off. And, it took a couple of meetings before we finally figured out that, yes, the feature still worked, but, because of one field in the database, it showed up in all of the forms except one. Well, duh, two seconds of work to fill in that field and it showed up everywhere it should. WHAT A WASTE of time and energy... but, at the same time, proves the benefits of having created a support position in-house. It would've cost a lot more money to have the consultants talk that answer out of the users.
And the ones saying, you need to reset my password. And I'm like, no, we just need to clear your cache. But, I'm experienced, I can talk them through without outright saying 'don't tell me how to do my job you clueless twit.' Seriously, they have expertise is MANY areas, but, NOT software.

Thanks for all of your input guys, I read all of your posts and appreciate the replies!

I know that this career is hard on me and this seems to be the general consensus for most of you. But I can perform very well at it to a point where no one can really tell anythings off about me. But some days are harder than others... I never feel like being around people after work which is the only problem. But then even when I'm off work for a few weeks I still just want to be alone... SO I'm thinking I'm just like this anyway and it's not because of my career.

I just don't know what else to do as a career and there's nothing I am extremely interested in that could make me a living... I just enjoy my special interests and work to support myself. I will be 25 next month and I don't even know what to return to school for if I were to.

I'm now being asked to run my own store by my boss and be completely in charge, only answering to him (Who will be 6 hours away in a different city running the main store). I'm worried and scarred but I'm also thinking that being the boss and not having anyone "watching" me talk to customers and doing my work will be a lot easier than what I'm doing now... Though I will still have the heavy social aspect.

Would this new job opportunity be worth the wage to you guys?

I work seasonally as a cashier at a college book store, tons of people coming in usually packing the store with lines to check out

for the most part I enjoy it. I love talking to people. there's somethings I've got in trouble for like going over someones head. we have 5 departments then a general manager. i got in trouble for going to the general manager to get help fixing a problem. I have also learned it isn't a good idea to help people in the other departments. so lie if someone working in supplies area ask me for help I shouldn't help them.

being a boss would be scary so much responsibility and having to tell others what to do and then punish them when the mess up :S

You have to trust your instincts on this one.

I've been scared and NOT taken things on, and I've been scared, and bit it down and gone on with it. Most do the times things work out ok, sometimes they haven't.

Best of luck either way.

Yep. I was told at the very start that swearing in front of a customer is grounds for getting written up; dropping an "f-bomb" is immediate termination.



It could be. There are a couple of things for you to look at:

1) Are you ready to be "completely in charge?" This means not only that you don't have any immediate supervisors, but also that anything that happens -- good or bad -- ultimately falls on your shoulders. The buck stops with you.

2) Are you going to have people working under you? Will you be capable of handling that? Lots of different personalities, hiring, firing, conflicts between employees.

3) Will there be vendors to deal with? Money and/or inventory to keep track of? What type of legalities are involved? Are there things that if you don't do them right, you could go to jail for?

I would get a COMPLETE list of job responsibilities, and make sure you understand everything clearly, BEFORE you accept the job.

I'd rather be homeless than work in another customer service ever again. They are a waste of time, no benefits, abusive managment, low wage, irregular schedules and many other reasons.

That being said, it is OK to work in customer service when you're young (17-25) but when you get older it's not worth the joke of a paycheck you earn by working in customer service.

I have been employed at multiple fast food jobs in my life and I will never ever work at those jobs again. My last employer was very abusive and broke several labor laws. These jobs are not worth it, there are better opinions.

To the OP -- from your follow up post about the promotional position you've been offered -- from everything you say, it sounds like you've been handling your current duties well and you might just be perfectly fine with the new responsibilities too. You seem to be having a more positive experience of this line of work than I did or some of us who have told of bad experiences. You seem to have a handle on it.

But as someone mentioned, find out exactly what will be expected of you, so that you are clear on those things.

Personally, for me, especially in middle age as I am now, no amount of salary could make me work in that line of work ever again. As someone said, I'd rather be homeless. I applied every coping strategy back in the day -- I was even attending regular talk therapy at the time, so good advice was not lacking -- but those jobs are just not for me, even when I apply behaviors and scripts I've learned. Customers who come in and dump their own bad day on ME, co-workers and even bosses who spiral with me into a bad dynamic between us that makes me start to be alienated -- not for me. But you are having a better time of it so I think you are going to be fine.

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