Tired of poor Customer Service? Blame our Culture of Dependency

Excellent Customer Service is one of the clichéd catch phrases that every company SAYS is important to them, but too few seem to really emulate.

It’s evidenced by the automated phone messages that repeatedly assure us that “our call is important to them”, and then make us jump through an endless labyrinth of prompts and codes. We see it with the grocery store cashier who doesn’t even make eye contact with us as he or she drones “…have a nice day…” in a Ben Stein-ian monotone. 

It’s not like this is rocket science, gang: a sincere smile, a pleasant “how may I assist you?”, and then actively helping us is really all we want.

We just don’t get it very often.

The Expectation of Civility (VIDEO)

Not that long ago, we discussed basic civility in today’s society and what happens when it’s no longer quite so “basic”. I mentioned then that I’d had it beaten into me (figuratively speaking, …for the most part) practically from birth: we were simply held to an expected level of behavior, and there was no excuse for falling below it. Ever.

The word to focus on is “expected”. We were expected to be civil: to be courteous and respectful, as well as helpful, kind, and generous with our time.

It was a non-negotiable aspect of my parents’ world.

Fast-forward to today, where such thinking is in woefully short supply. Today, I can go into a store and no longer count on receiving great service, …or even particularly good service. Sure, excellence is still around (I submit that the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain is one of the best and friendliest, anywhere), but it is no longer the expectation it once was: it’s increasingly the exception.