Take a Break!
The Death of Customer Service AS WE KNOW IT
WORD SEARCH
Ever since I started running businesses, “the customer is always right,” or something similar, has been the modus operandi for customer service. Major global corporations like Ritz Carlton and Disney built their empires on the bedrock that is exemplary customer service, with employees ready and willing to answer any question and fix any problem that their customers might have.
And now, in the wake of the pandemic, I can confidently say that the era of customer service is effectively dead.
CAROL CHEER COCOA FAMILY
GIFT HOLIDAY
SHOVEL SLEDDING SNOW TURQUOISE
Don’t misunderstand me: The pandemic didn’t kill customer service as we once knew it all on its own. This has been a long time coming. The internet became the first wall between businesses and their customers. Instead of actually getting to speak to a local representative of the company, many businesses made it so the only way a customer could ask or answer a question was through their website. Some websites don’t even include phone numbers for the company, and if they do, it will connect you to a phone answering service halfway around the world before connecting you to a local representative. Secondly, the bar for in-person customer service has dropped tremendously. At a lot of big-box retailers, where they assure their customers that customer service is their No. 1 priority, their actions say otherwise. Many major retailers now just send whoever out onto the sales floor with a shirt that says “ask me for my service.” Didn’t it used to be the other way around? And now, we come to the pandemic, the nail in customer service’s coffin. Now, less interaction with customers is not only overlooked but also actively encouraged. We now can only communicate through our phones or online and never have to speak with a real person if we don’t want to. And by and large, businesses are loving it. By closing its lobbies, McDonald’s now has fewer labor costs and their sales are up 4.6% from this same time last year! It seems like what used to be good customer service now just gets in the way of doing business. With companies seeing increases in their profit margins, can you blame them? With everyone seemingly just moving past the death of customer service, I can’t help but wonder what isolating the customers from the businesses they choose will do in the long run.
HOLLY PEACE
SUDOKU (SOLUTION ON PG. 4)
3
800.805.9575
WWW.TERRYMONROE.COM
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog