The Restaurant Industry and the Contact Center Industry Have Lessons for One Another

While the restaurant industry and the contact center industry might appear to have little in common, from an employee’s perspective, they might be more similar than we think. Both jobs, at entry level, are considered low-paying and hard work. They require putting on a bright face and offering good customer service to often crabby or demanding customers. Both industries employ a lot of people in the United States, and often represent job opportunities for people without college educations. It’s therefore worth studying the lessons of one industry to apply to the other.

In the restaurant industry, like in the contact center, managers, supervisors and other non entry-level positions are often filled by people who started on the bottom rung. These individuals are often those who showed an uncommon level of persistence and determination, and were therefore promoted out of the ranks. To try and recruit and nurture more workers who show this kind of discipline, it’s worth it for contact center managers to take some advice from the restaurant industry.

In a recent article for the National Restaurant Association (NRA), Chris Hein, VP of food and beverage for restaurant chain the Old Spaghetti Factory, said it’s vital to help employees understand their roles and responsibilities, whether they’re at a big chain or a small independent restaurant (or a large contact center or a small contact center). Set expectations during the hiring process to weed out less serious candidates and nurture promising new recruits. While it may seem obvious to managers, the steps required to get ahead may not be to rank and file employees.

“The hardest part was getting on board when I first started — to understand what I needed to do to become successful in the restaurant business,” said Hein, who credits a manager who served as a mentor to help him understand what it took to advance.

If you allow employees to have some part in setting their performance goals, they will be more invested in achieving them. Review employees often, both formally and informally, so there are no surprises. Acknowledge achievements and offer rewards to workers who do well. There are fewer tactics that will get employees to stick around more successful than rewarding jobs well done.

Motivation efforts on the part of managers are also necessary to find, train and help develop devoted workers who value their professions. (The human resources Web site TLNT discussed a recent study that emphasizes the importance of motivational behaviors on workers.) Regardless of whether it’s the restaurant industry or the call center industry, humans are humans and many of the same lessons apply. Neither restaurant jobs or contact center jobs need to be “professions of last resort,” as long as both the employee and his or her manager have the right attitude and a goal of success. 

Edited by Stefania Viscusi

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