Do you find that customer service has diminished drastically in the past ten yea

1. 89

   Just Ask Susanposted 12 years ago

   Do you find that customer service has diminished drastically in the past ten years?

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2. 86

   billybucposted 12 years ago

   Without a doubt it has, but that answer has to be taken as a general answer; there are individual stores in Olympia where the customer service has improved as times have gotten tougher.

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3. 76

   Castlepalomaposted 12 years ago

   In human service yes
   In machine service no

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4. 61

   Dee aka Nonnaposted 12 years ago

   Indeed, it has.  I think the downward slide has been taking place longer than 10 years.  I do think that stores are beginning to see where they went wrong and are trying to correct.  At the same time there are customers who are much more difficult than they need to be.   I see the road back as long and definitely not easy.

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5. 63

   leroy64posted 12 years ago

   I would say yes.  I just don't think people stay in one job long enough to develop good habits.  Some people job hop for more money when they can.  Other people are laid off when they become too expensive for the boss.  Either way, the experienced people are not able to pass on their knowledge; and, the inexperienced are not sticking around to learn from their predecessors.

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6. 61

   TheServiceLeaderposted 12 years ago

   Generally speaking, people feel that the service they get from companies has eroded and even disappeared. 
   
   The BBB and the FTC have ever increasing numbers of service complaints and law suits, certain industries just cannot bring themselves to service a customer, accounting rules have encouraged off-shore outsourcing to improve profits, customer service salaries have remained stagnant, and company-led investment into front line service providers has disappeared. 
   
   Add to that, service leaders are constantly challenged to reduce expenses while never getting the invitation to sit at the C-level table to plan, advise, and represent the Voice of the Customer.  Everything is becoming commoditized - and companies are now feeling the pain; thanks to social media and the power of a customer's wallet.
   
   Interestingly, small/emerging companies have a fabulous opportunity to compete on this very issue.  Smaller companies are agile and intuitively know that hiring, training, and paying people to provide great service is the right - and ONLY - thing to do.  And, that focusing on keeping customers 'happy' - no matter what that means - is the way to profits and growth.
   
   If you are a service provider (and who isn't these days) and you want to avoid being commoditized, I suggest that you evaluate all of your customer touchpoints with an eye towards decency, fair play, generosity, integrity, and common sense.  Am I hearing 'The Golden Rule' here?
   
   THAT advice you'll never get from an expensive consultant and will go a very long way towards your success.

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7. 78

   JamaGeneeposted 12 years ago

   You don't specify whether you mean face-to-face or over the phone, but overall I'd have to say it *has* diminished drastically in both areas.  I blame this on the pitifully low wages paid to those who are, in effect, the "face" of the company but are treated as a liability and a drag on profits and the corporate bottom line.

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8. 69

   Ariochposted 12 years ago

   In general yes, companies have in general lost the view that the customer is king instead focusing on statistics and quotas that have become less and less relevant to actual customer service and in some cases even profit.
   The use of call centres in places hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles distant has also had an effect on customer service.
   Also the errosion of competition as bigger firms have squeezed out smaller ones, the ones that offered a more personal service.  Bigger firms are for more likely to see you as just a number not as person.
   Managenment has also distanced itself far from the front line in many firms sending in consultants and even hiring in companies to find out what is going on rather then taking the more cost effective and efficient method of taking a look themselves.

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9. 70

   BeYOUtifuLifeposted 12 years ago

   Customer service has diminished drastically over the past ten years and is escalating at an alarming rate.  There are some business who are willing to give great customer service and make a good profit while there others want to make phenomenal profit thereby giving up superior customer service. 
   
   Giving great customer service will ultimately keep great customers.  It is the right way to run business.

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10. 89

    jpcmcposted 12 years ago

    I don't think customer service has diminished over the pst 10 years.  In fact many companies are now employing systems and procedures on how to make customer experience better.  from faster service to better products, companies are trying to be more competitive.  Howver, consumers are becoming more intelligent.  they know their rights and demand it - nothing wrong with that.  Also, customers now compare services between companies.  This comparisons make consumers more aware of what they want - especially how they are taken cared by companies.

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11. 56

    taxcalculatorsposted 12 years ago

    I remember the time when our local phone company had customer service reps available 24 hours a day.  Now they work much shorter hours. 
    I pay the same for my phone service as I did years back. So I am getting lesser value for the money and the phone company makes a lot more dough which goes to paying CEO salaries.

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12. 80

    roxanne459posted 12 years ago

    I agree with most of the answers with a big YES! Customer Service has been on a steady decline for a very long time. I have been in the service industry for 20 years now and I am a huge advocate for caring for the public! I believe it starts when you're young, before you even get your first job. It's a basic respect for people as a whole and a solid work ethic. It shouldn't matter how much you are being paid, if you agree to take a position that requires Customer Service than thats what you provide to the best of your ability. It's that simple. If someone feels resentment toward their employer or another customer, there is a time and place to resolve that. There is never an excuse to project that onto innocent people. Good question!

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13. 92

    Sherry Hewinsposted 12 years ago

    When it comes to customer service over the phone it is practically non-existent. Usually all you get is a voice main maze and if you need to speak to an actual person you'll be on hold for a half hour. I don't mind the automated stuff if I just want to pay a bill, but it should be easier to speak to someone when you need to.

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14. 69

    Sonia Perozziposted 12 years ago

    Unfortunately, I have to say yes. I think there are a few reason behind this however:
    1) People are far more demanding and less thankful, everyone wants more and more for less and less.
    2) The jobs for the most part to do not pay well enough to have to put up with the abuse of customers, managers and corporation rules.
    3) The pride for jobs have significantly dropped, especially if it is one of transition. In some ways this effects the performance within the job.
    
    With all that said I am not sure what the solution would be, all of us have in someway contributed to this problem. I agree with Dee it is a long road back.

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15. 60

    EstellaGraceposted 12 years ago

    While I definitely think that quality customer service is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, I also find it to be true that customers are a little jaded about what they deserve.  Customers demand more and more of their service providers, and often with less money attached.  I am in food service, and when the restaurant business first got going, it was a place to EAT.  These days people (regulars) not only come to an establishment looking for food, they come looking for power, entertainment, ego stroking, and numerous other silly, unspoken requests.  I find this to hold true in many other service industries as well.  Service providers are tired, and usually it's because they have to pretend to be your best friend.

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16. 67

    golfcart34posted 12 years ago

    I would say it most definitely has.  Granted there will always be those nasty and unreasonable customers out there who expect everything for nothing, but I don't think that represents the majority of customers in general.  I've done some graduate work in human relations and I think part of the problem is we've taken the "human" aspect out of customer service and we've tried to take a scientific approach to the concept.  A few years ago I worked as a ticket agent at a tourist destination.  The general expectation was that you sold tickets according to their prescribed formula as that formula was what worked.  As a general rule I didn't use their formula and I ended up selling more tickets because I took the time to listen and relate to my customers based on their needs as an individual rather than just treating them as potential dollar signs for the organization.

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17. 77

    Levertis Steeleposted 12 years ago

    Yes, I have noticed that.
    
    Everything is diminishing, it seems. There was a time that nurses bathed helpless patients in hospitals, but if relatives are not around, some won't do it.

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18. 61

    YvetteParkerposted 12 years ago

    Yes, definitely. There used to be a saying some years ago that "the customer is always right" that now seems to be obsolete. Oh, how I miss those days! I always expect kind, courteous customer service; but it is a rarity now. I'm always humbled and grateful when I experience it.

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19. 0

    MP50posted 12 years ago

    I would say "DRASTICALLY" is an accurate description of this diminished public service.

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20. 66

    PK2010posted 12 years ago

    Customer service has declined a lot. A lot of it boils down to the materialistic nature of the society that we live in today where profit precedes good manners. A shocking erosion of simple everyday manners has also contributed towards this down turn.
    
    Customer service roles are almost like stepping stones to other 'more desirable' roles especially for the young ones who are seeking a bit of work experience to help them get up the ladder of good employment opportunities.
    A lot of customer service roles that I see today are being filled by the youth who do not have the attitude toward manners and commitment that older generations have. They are not as committed to a job as their adventurous spirit means they do not stay long enough to develop and have a better understanding of what the expectations of a customer service role is.

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21. 73

    skinsman82000posted 12 years ago

    I'd say that most of the people working in customer service are just trying to do their job, but we think they're worse than they are.  I think the truth is that we just have to deal with them more because the average quality of a product is worse and cheaper.

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22. 58

    KlmTnkrbllposted 12 years ago

    I have noticed that over the years, yes customer service has started to demolish. Although we cannot just blame the employees; there are a number of customers these days roaming around acting as if they do not want to be talked to nor with. Those customers are in a way, almost training the associate's at stores and such, to act snobbish and rude. As the Golden Rule en-states, "Treat others how you would like to be treated." So when customers come into stores, their initial reflex is to act like the other person. So in all actuality I don't believe that it is the associates fault at all. The reason they must act that way, is due to the change in the customers attitude over the past ten years.

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23. 40

    pharuk temmy tposted 12 years ago

    You are very correct and I think the best care customers can get is not through email,phone or any other means but only face to face, that is the best way customers can have their complains treated.

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24. 67

    larcaustin46posted 12 years ago

    Yes, it has diminished across the board--from having to search from department to department to find someone to take you, to having a overseas tech support operator repeat everything twice because you can't understand their accent over the satellite phone connection.  Higher-end stores still value customer service, though--although I've had to break up a few conversations between salespeople to get assistance there as well.

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25. 85

    Express10posted 12 years ago

    Most definitely. There are people who are too rushed to care, multi-tasking to the point of insulting customers, and some that are incompetent. The people that are in customer service who have the most contact with customers are the lowest paid so that doesn't provide much incentive to be better unless their job is threatened.

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26. 63

    Tricia1000posted 12 years ago

    Sadly good customer service seems to be deteriorating at a very fast pace. Why does it happen? read more

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27. 72

    bn9900posted 10 years ago

    It Is sad to see the state of customer service, but in 90 percent of the cases where the customer is to blame. I mean that they call with a chip on their shoulder and expect to het what they want when they want it. I have worked in Customer service for 14 years now, 10 of them in retail and the rest in a call center and a non profit setting. The customer believes they should get what they were asking for, and that is not the case for a number of reasons: 1. Misunderstood policy, 2.Doesn't follow rules 3 Believes they are special and should get special treatment,
    Guess what, customer service folks have guide lines they must follow, and as customers get more demanding the companies have to create new ways to stay afloat by not giving into any unwarranted demands.
    So has customer service diminished? No but customers have become to demanding.

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