I have some money, I want to buy something!

In the late 80’s and early 90’s we experienced a downturn. During this time there was a re-discovery of good customer service.  I had worked in the Automobile Vehicle Rental Business and Auto Industry during this time. Books such as Raving Fans were considered the bible for good service. Retailers such as Nordstrom’s were referenced as the Gold Standard of exceptional customer service. Companies began to focus on customer satisfaction and the CSI or Customer Service Index and performance measurement in most industries mainstream. We had been through the down times of the 70’s and early 80’s and companies realized how valuable it was to retain each customer. 

The automobile industry embraced CSI programs. Dealerships had certain thresholds to meet based on their CSI index that were tied to KPI’s or Key Performance Indicators. Companies such as CSI Complete sprang up to fill the need for outside call centers to survey customers.  Each customer had value measured in life cycle of the product they purchased and a company’s ability to maximize the revenue stream created during that life cycle. Higher quality products along with better service was the norm not the exception 

What happened to good customer service? The middle and late 90’s…that’s what! Business starting picking up, times weren’t quite as tough with plenty to go around. Prices were low on the items we wanted. In 1987 we paid $500.00 for a four head hi-fi VCR. Ten years later we paid $70.00. Our first home PC cost just over $2000.00, today we have two lap tops which combined barely cost over $1500.00. We had six rental car locations around Indy, the unemployment rate reach 2.5% in Marion county and you could not find employees. We were all making money and lots of it. Businesses knew the customers would be there. 

So what is missing from this recession? A customer service revival is missing. So what happened to good customer service? How often do you enter a store, any store and are unable to find what we need and furthermore you are unable to find a clerk to help you. When you do find a clerk he or she informs you that they can’t help you because they don’t work in that department, or they just don’t know. As a consumer there is no sense of urgency to gain and retain my business on the part of retailers or vendors.

Today make things worse, U.S. companies began outsourcing call center needs to companies abroad.  Automated operators have made your purchasing and service experience more frustrating. We buy online and have no interaction with a person at all. Most online retailers do not have a phone number you can call.  The personal experience is almost gone. We as a society with lose our ability to interact with each other at this rate.

As a business owner today, we have vendors we spend thousands of dollars with. A couple of these vendors have terrible service but their competition isn’t any better. Orders consistently wrong, pricing messed up or they don’t have what we order.  I want to yell: “I have some money, I want to buy something!”  

I really don’t understand how these places can stay in business and why they don’t really care. In our business, granted we sell drinks ranging from $1.50 to $5.35 but every customer is important. That customer that spends $1.60 with me every day is crucial because they spend $1.60 five days a week. Like I said, I don’t understand! I want to gain and retain every customer I can, they’re important to me and so is how I treat them. I wish I could say the same for a lot of other places out there today.  

Here is the kicker, I think as consumers we have grown apathetic too. We don’t expect or demand good service anymore. Now, there are the exceptions to this but they are far and few between. I don’t know what the answer is but once we emerge from this recession I think we are going to be even worse off.