WHAT has happened to Customer Service?

I want great customer service! – Who doesn’t, right?  In today’s economy it seems logical that most companies would agree, however, I have found that NOT to be the case in a handful of recent, frustrating situations.

How many representatives does it take to change a light bulb? 

We’ve all been there.  It seems that phone customer service is perhaps the worst offender…is it "out of sight out of mind”?

After many prompts we finally get to an actual person and we tell them our situation.  Next, we are routed to another Rep and we re-tell the whole situation.  Then, we are re-routed again and WOW, guess what? – We’ve got to recite our situation/issue yet again!

Then, by some weird (or not so weird) freaky thing – we get disconnected.

We bite our lips and call again, enter the numbers requested, listen to some music or ads while we wait, then we are graciously allowed to speak to another representative only to go through being forwarded another 4 or 5 times (all the while reciting our now memorized issue each and every time).

Is it any wonder that we (Valued Customers - I use that term loosely) are completely frustrated by the time we actually speak to a manager?!

Email isn’t much better; I recently became completely annoyed trying to rent a property. (NOT naming names- much to their pleasure, I'm sure)

I have an idea for all those struggling companies out there – FOCUS on customer service.

Here’s another idea…if you have 30 check-out lines…open more than 2!

I suppose that I have been obviously misguided in my notion that “The Customer is ALWAYS right” and that “The Customer ALWAYS Comes First”.   I mean customers are WHY are companies built in the first place.

When I ran my restaurant many years ago, I had this elderly gentleman of about 80 years old that was a regular customer.  

EVERY single time he came in he asked for Oyster Stew as an appetizer.  I never had Oyster Stew on my menu, EVER.  

BUT, you know what? – I had oysters, milk, butter, celery, white pepper, salt, parsley, and paprika.   I must have made him Oyster Stew a hundred times.  I did this sort of thing for customers ALL the time…if you’ve got the ingredients, why not make it?! 

-Customers do come first sometimes and in some places.

I guess if you’re a Big Company it is easier said than done, YET I am only suggesting that they answer the phones and take care of their customers in a timely, suitable manner.

Good Business is NOT Rocket Science!