--- title: Being open about dyslexia at my job is an advantage description: When I take numbers over the phone at my customer service job, I ask people to give them to me in sets of four. People are irritated until I tell them why — I have dyslexia. slug: being-open-about-dyslexia-at-my-customer-service-job-is-an-advantage author: Mimi Schweid published: '2020-06-16T16:55:16.053Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/2B5tfpIFtZ9gIFcuHrxdKg/2f3c7dda7f698959e8c44f2533a42ef3/YA_Thumbnail_Set_Contentful-09.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/being-open-about-dyslexia-at-my-customer-service-job-is-an-advantage lang: en --- # Being open about dyslexia at my job is an advantage I work for a roadside assistance company. Instead of dealing with people face-to-face as I have for all of my other customer service jobs (hello, Barista Mimi!), I have to talk to people over the phone.  Working with customers over the phone actually has a lot in common with doing it in person. People aren’t always happy when you help them. In the barista world, some people are excited about their coffee break. But others are stressed and short-tempered. With my roadside assistance job, people are often upset because they have a flat tire or they locked their keys in the car. One thing that’s consistent with both jobs is how I’ve adapted to make my [dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-dyslexia) work to my advantage.  I don’t always have the best audio comprehension. Working with spoken numbers can be hard for me — for example, taking cash from the register to give someone change, or taking credit card numbers over the phone. Some days I’m really on point with it, but even on my “good” days, I can still slip up. It can get frustrating, so I’ve created a strategy to make it easier on myself. When I get a customer giving me credit card information over the phone, I ask them to give me the information in *sets of four *— for example, 8743 0321 7593 9884. Trying to get all 16 digits at once can trip me up. But if I get the information in sets of four, I get little breaks to make sure the numbers are correct. After I receive all the information, I ask them if it’s OK if I repeat it all back to them to confirm it. Then once it’s all clear, I submit it and we move on. [![Video](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/px7P_mIYVTg/sddefault.webp)](https://youtu.be/px7P_mIYVTg) Not all of the customers or roadside technicians who work with me respond positively to this at first. But when I say I’m dyslexic, they change their tune — and the transactions move much smoother because of it. Being open about my learning difference makes things easier for me *and *for others. Give it a shot! See what happens, and move forward knowing you may be helping more people than yourself. --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [Why I’m open about my daughter’s dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/why-im-open-about-my-daughters-dyslexia) - There are many supports and accommodations for kids with learning and thinking differences. But I know a lot of parents who dont ask for help. The reason: They dont want others to know their child has a learning difference. I understand these concerns. I might have felt the same way when I learned t - [6 surprising ways dyslexia affects me](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-surprising-ways-dyslexia-affects-me-as-a-young-adult) - Most conversations I have about dyslexia revolve around school. People want to know how dyslexia affects my schoolwork and grades, especially now that Im a junior in college. However, my dyslexia doesnt go away after Im done with classes for the day. It doesnt go away when Im working as a student te - [Workplace disclosure as an editor with dyslexia](https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/howd-you-get-that-job/editor-dyslexia-disclosure-workplace) - Darcey Gohring has dyslexia, and didnt tell anyone she worked with for 25 years. Now, as an established writer and editor, shes speaking out. Darcey Gohring was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. But she didnt feel comfortable disclosing her dyslexia at work until she was a manager. 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