Is Customer Service Disappearing?

Customer service seems to be a remnant of the past, especially when it comes to getting help on the telephone. Nowadays telephone customer service consists of a prerecorded voice with endless prompts. You have to go through ten minutes of craziness before you get to a real live person. With all the outsourcing, you may even be talking to someone in another country. Some companies are using the personal service as a marketing tool, this is quit perplexing.

People use to go out to eat because of the good service. However, restaurant service has diminished drastically. Waiters still work for their tips, but it seems as though they are not as attentive. Once you have been seated, you are at their mercy. But every once in awhile you can stumble upon an eatery that has good service, they tend to be locally owned restaurants, where word of mouth is extremely important. Fast food restaurants have become even worse. They just want to move you through as fast as possible. They used to always say, please and thank you, but not anymore.

Another change in customer service is within the retail market. Self service has become prevalent, especially when it comes to buying groceries. There are less checkout lines with real people. Instead, they have the self serve checkouts with an automated voice. Throughout the grocery store there are little computers that check prices, and vending machines for stamps, coins, and soda. These are all self serve. There is however, still a customer service desk where you can pay bills, cash checks, and leave customer complaints.

Customer service for leisure looking around in department stores and clothing chains has changed as well. There used to be great personal service, so going out to shop on your own was a lot of fun. There was always someone there to help you. For instance, if you needed a pair of pants in a different size or an opinion about how something looked an associate was ready to help. There seems to be less sales people, and they are busy doing other things. Boutiques usually have better service, because they are small and privately owned. They take the time to get to know you for repeat business.

Customer service in the service sector has become rather contradictory. There are certain service sectors that take advantage of us. The automobile, plumbing, and the appliance industry are in this special sector. It is because we need them, they are a necessity, and they know this. Good service is not a priority. We all dread the day when our car starts to act up and we know we have to take it in to get fixed. Most of us have the basic knowledge about cars, but we are still at the mercy of the mechanics. We make erroneous transferred phone calls just to find out what the problem is. Then we have to haggle about the price, and most often get a second opinion, because unfortunately there is an unscrupulous and fraudulent practice in this sector. Believe it or not, during dire circumstances price gauging is not uncommon. The government is also part of this special sector. We all must follow their laws and guidelines, but they do not make it easy for us – take the department of motor vehicles. The lines are arduous and we are confused about what documentation we need. The government is taking steps to stop the illegal practices regarding fraud and price gauging, however they really have not taken steps to better their own service sectors. Service is regrettably becoming a remnant of the past, but with good and dedicated leadership we can bring it back to the forefront.

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