Customer Service Ain't What It Used To Be

The old gray mare ain’t what she used to be.

I'm willing to bet there hasn't been a huge increase in customer service jobs over the last few years. I would think that many jobs have gone away in that field. Instead they've moved over to software companies coming up with ways to improve our life and make computers more efficient.  In the past people took care of people. Now we program computers to do it. Advancements in technology have certainly made life easier in some ways  but in other ways it's caused a few more hiccups.

It used to be if we called a business, we got a friendly customer service representative.  Now we're usually greeted with a recording. I'm sure everyone has been greeted with the same recording.  It gives instructions on what numbers to punch to get where you want to go.  Computers sort you into a queue and move you along from  one computer to another.  That's not necessarily bad in itself but for us it's not necessarily good either.

Some companies are a little more advanced than just having you punch in numbers.  These companies have provided a voice activated computer to make it easier for you.  We all know voice recognition software is far from perfect.  It seems half the time the computer doesn't understand what's being said and after being told more than once to repeat an answer, frustration sets in.  However, if you're really lucky, the computer gives up and you're eventually transferred to a live person.    I'm sure you've talked to this person.  He lives in India and speaks in broken English..  Now instead of the computer not understanding what you're saying, you're the one who has trouble understanding. Sound familiar? This is just one more advancement in providing you with good customer service.

Ever taken the time to count the screens or menus on a phone call until you finally get where you want to be? Sometimes you can press “0” to get to an English speaking person but many companies have learned that trick too.  They don’t allow it because the person who normally held that position no longer works there..

Since companies don't really want you calling them, finding contact information off their website can at times be challenging.  The good thing though is that if you search long enough you can probably find an email address or a chat line.  Neither of those are really ideal especially when you understand that the person on the chat line helping you also is trying to help a few others at the same time. This may have decreased overhead for the company but it sure changed their customer service too..

If you are lucky enough to find an email to write to, it’s not uncommon to get an automatic email back letting you know your message was received and it's important to them.  As a matter of fact, it's so important that they will have a representative get back to you within 24 hours or maybe it’s 48 hours. I was told by Newegg a representative would get back to me within an hour.  It was about 72 hours later that I received that return call.

Sometimes we don’t need a phone.  Sometimes we just need a person.   How many times have you been in line at a grocery store or any other retail store to discover when it's your turn the cashier is so deep in conversation with someone else that he doesn't even acknowledge you’re there?  How many times have you gone through check-out without the cashier even speaking to you? Sometimes it's just faster to do it yourself.  We've been trained to do the job of a cashier.

What about customer service at a restaurant?  Waitress’ work for tips.  If you get good service, you’re expected to leave a good tip.  You’re actually expected to leave a tip whether the service is good or not.   Good service enhances your dining experience and poor service can ruin it. We know people who leave a standard dollar or two regardless of the service or the cost of the meal and others who will tip well over 20%.  Where do you fit in?

I definitely think “The old gray mare ain’t what she used to be" and neither is customer service.

‘Tis life on the road