Is Customer Service Dead?

Introduction
After giving a lot of though to this question, I've come to the conclusion of "It depends". I think a lot depends on the individual business and the quality of employees that they hire. I've found (in general) that places like Wegmans (in CNY) and Ukrops (here in Richmond) have excellent customer service. I also believe that places like Walmart have inferior customer service.

Reasons for Poor Customer Service
I know one tends to get in trouble when one stereotypes, but I think some stereotypes have a certain degree of truth to them. In my personal experience, stores such as Walmart tend to hire from the bottom of the barrel. They are either high school kids who are on the verge of dropping out of school or are adults who probably did drop out of school. Many seem to do the minimum possible. Others may be hard workers and may be working a couple jobs each day, but seem to have the personality of an angry wart hog. Maybe I'd be that way too after working a couple minimum wage jobs every day!

Now certainly, there are tons of people from low income families that are hard workers, polite, and provide great customer service. And there are tons of people from upper income families that are lazy SOBs and don't give a rat's ass about customers. But I still think it's a fair generalization.

Reasons for Good Customer Service
Now let's take a look at the stereotypical employee at a place like Wegmans or Ukrops. Either they're a high school aged kid who appears to be from a middle/upper income family, or they're a middle/upper income person of retirement age who wants to make a few extra bucks or has a job just to stay active. I know I'm making a huge generalization, but people from middle and upper income families tend to have better manners and tend to take more pride in their jobs.

I think places like Wegmans and Ukrops recognize the value of good customers service and go out of their way to hire these types of people. Good companies also tend to treat and pay their employees well. I think places such as Walmart try and portray themselves as providing good customer service, but the "proof is in the pudding". I think there's too much of an emphasis of providing low prices. In order to provide low prices, they are forced to pay a lower wage, offer fewer benefits, etc. The quality of the employee tends to match the quality of the compensation.

My minimum expectations for customer service
Customer service takes many forms. It can be something as simple as a cashier greeting a store patron or thanking them for shopping at their store. I don't even require a smile on your face. Certainly that would be a plus. I'm sure when I was a cashier at Price Chopper, I would say, "How are you, Sir/Ma'am?" without smiling or looking the customer in the eye. More than likely I was focusing on getting them through the line as quickly as possible. But come on people! Don't just stand there mute with a sour puss "I don't give a shit" look on your face! The other thing that pisses me off is, "I don't work in this department" or "I don't know" and just walk away. Well find me someone in the right department or find me someone who can tell me the price of this item. A good employee will not only do that but will walk you right there. One cool thing they do at Ukrops is they carry your groceries out to your car for you. Ukrops does not have any "cart farms". Customers appreciate the service and Ukrops doesn't have to send employees out to wrangle carts and don't have to worry about carts hitting cars. Are Ukrops prices more than Walmart's? Yes, but not by that much.

Customer service can also be complex, such as pacifying a customer who just purchased a defective product. I realize that a lot of times it's not the store's fault something is wrong. A good store will listen to the customer and do what they can to make the situation right. We have a semiannual state of the firm address and one of the cornerstones of every address is a study about "Why business lose customers". I don't remember what the percentages were for each item, but here are some of the reasons.

• The customer dies
• Customer moves away
• Customer lured away by the competition
• Unsatisfactory service

But the number one reason (more than 60%) why customers stop patronizing a business is INDIFFERENCE. That means that a business can occasionally screw up and make a mistake, but as long as employees aren't indifferent and try to rectify the situation quickly and in a manner acceptable to the customer, most customers will continue to patronize that business. "Good enough is the enemy of the great."

The problem isn't only with the employees
Just as I think customer service (and the lack there of) is a problem, I think poor customer manners are just as big a problem. I remember one time when I was working at Price Chopper as a stock clerk. The store was really busy so I got called to the front end to bag groceries. A customer questioned the price of a certain produce item. I ran over to the produce aisle to check the correct price. It turned out the correct price was charged and the customer had read the price of an adjacent item. I ran back to inform the customer. The customer (it just happened to be a woman) grabbed my arm and literally proceeded to DRAG me towards the produce aisle to prove that she was right. All the time, I said loudly, "Ma'am, please let go of my arm!" (Notice I was still being polite). My front end manager was nearby and saw what was happening. The manager politely chewed the customer out saying she had no right to lay her hands on her employees. The customer kind of "snapped to" and apologized to me and the manager.

Conclusion

Good customer service is out there. Good companies are able to find and retain these employees. I think more and more people are starting to value good customer service and are willing to pay extra for it. It's typically worth it in the end.