On May 23, Tyler Wilson, who goes by the handle @tylerwilsoncomedy on TikTok, posted the video with the note, "I hope my customer service reps have a good day." And below it, customer service workers bonded over the questions they'd like to be able to answer with a "duh." The post had around 241,000 likes and over 3,000 comments as of publication.
Wilson said customer service jobs would be easier if staff were allowed to respond honestly when customers asked obvious questions. As an example, he described working at a car rental company where a customer asked if they could reschedule their appointment at the same location.
The creator said that at first he considered answering with an exasperated "Yeah" and then thought to himself: where else might the customer have expected to take the appointment? The video drew responses from workers in retail, restaurants, cafés, and other customer-facing roles.
@tylerwilsoncomedy Hope my customer service reps have a good day #customerservice #jobs #comedy #rant
♬ original sound - tylerwilsoncomedy
Hundreds of commenters gave examples of the kinds of questions they come across frequently. One declared, "Why are you working on a holiday?" and another replied, "Because you are here." This reply got more than 53,000 likes.
In another instance, an employee said that a customer asked, "What time do you close?" even though they found out the business's phone number online, where the hours were also given. Another commenter noted that customers would ask if the business was open while staff were already on the phone answering calls.
A common topic was whether or not employees actually worked at their workplaces. "Do you work here?" was frequently mentioned in the comments as the workers joked about having to be asked that while donning uniforms, name tags, radios, or company-branded clothes. One quipped that although they were not an employee, they were just "a big fan" of the store and thus the T-shirt or vest!
Other workers had conversations just as familiar. One said that when he asked, "Cash or card?" a customer's reply was "Yes."
Another recalled that a customer was asking where the register was while standing directly in front of it. Some said they have developed ways to let customers know how frustrated they are without crossing boundaries. One said that a blank stare was "respectable enough," while another said they wished they could ask customers, "Are you [serious]?" at least once per shift.
One widely known expectation is that customer-service employees must be polite regardless of how customers behave. "Customer service jobs wouldn't be as bad if the workers could also return attitude to the customers without any repercussions," one wrote.
Others suggested that everyone should work in customer service for at least a year to understand what employees deal with.The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in this video. The details above reflect the account as shared on TikTok by @tylerwilsoncomedy."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in this video. The details above reflect the account as shared on TikTok by @tylerwilsoncomedy.
