As anyone in customer service knows, it's not an easy profession. I think next to sales, it's the "Perfect Storm" when it comes to stress and emotional wear and tear. Here's what I mean:

1) Customer service is an "experience business" - to build a reputation for great service, you need people who can provide a warm, welcoming, friendly experience.

2) It can be pretty darn hard to be warm, welcoming, and friendly sometimes, especially when you're being mistreated by customers. As anyone involved in customer service knows, the amount of emotional wear and tear possible when dealing with the public can be huge.

3) If you're having a bad day and you let it show, it will affect your customers, who will then react in less than wonderful ways toward you, which will make your day even worse... and the downward spiral continues. Thus, when you're in customer service or sales, you can't afford the luxury of a bad day like in many lines of work.

That's why customer service supervisors and business owners need to be especially good, I believe, at creating a positive work environment and being on the lookout for potential "morale busters."

Here's an article published in the Press Herald awhile back which looks at the supervisor's role in creating such an environment:

"Help Your Staff Be Winners, Not Whiners"

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