Customer Service Has Died

Warning upfront, this post is a bit of a rant, but also a realization. It seems that customer service is dead or at the very least dying a slow death.

For the past few weeks, for me at least, customer service and the lack of it has been a constant theme. Utilities, doctors, retail stores, and others. No one cares about it and seemingly no one focuses on it.

Without customers/patients, there is no business. So why do so many businesses miss that step?

When you think about it, every one of us is in the service business. We service family, friends, employers/employees, and all other human beings. Call it common courtesy. Call it being polite. Call it be human. Where has it gone?

I have been amazed in the last few weeks some of the responses I’ve received to questions.  I was told recently by a vendor that the reason a recent proof was not complete when delivered, was because the schedule allowed for multiple rounds of revisions.  ”We can catch it the next time.” he said.  Really?  Couldn’t we maybe eliminate some rounds of revisions and get it right the first time?

In another instance, I was recently told by my doctor’s office when I asked about alternate solutions, that I could go directly to the manufacturer and then maybe find some else to perform the procedure.  My response, “When did medical care become like car care, go to the auto parts store and then find your own mechanic? WTH?

It seems like we can come up with excuse after excuse for why this can’t happen or that won’t happen.  So if customer service is dead, where does that leave customer satisfaction? With all the excuses, doing things correctly the first time, isn’t even in the realm of possibilities.  Customer satisfaction is defined as doing things right the first time.

In the current environment of social media and its increasing popularity, it seems that customer service should be improving and it doesn’t seem to be the case.  There are so many examples of bad customer service that have gone viral in an instant (Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines come to mind).  When everyone is talking about building relationships, who are we talking to? Many companies and businesses are not listening.  In an ever shrinking world, we all as human beings better wake up.  We are all in the service business.  We need to start acting like it.