Question About Quality Customer Service

Outside The Beltway
1

The phone calls referenced aren’t hey this is Janet, wanna grab some coffee and doughnuts, call me at —- —- —-, but of a commercial nature.

I’m calling to see if Counselor X is accepting new patients is one example. Of the 6 on my network, exactly ONE returned my call.

The latest is in reference to driving school that’s required for my teen to get her learner’s permit. Of the roughly 6 I called, two returned that call, & one was too far a commute. The one that we chose had a talk with me and noted that a lot of these schools don’t return calls.

Is customer service getting that bad because of a lot of information and registration being online? Or do some businesses just not care because they’re part of a state mandate & know they’ll always have customers?

We found a lot of the same when renting properties. Some potential landlords don’t return calls about available properties—which in Massachusetts is illegal as a form of passive agressive discrimination.

I swear to the next time I see that SHOP SMALL STAY LOCAL sign at the plaza, I’m going to raise my middle finger to it. Every time I’ve tried, either phone calls go unreturned, or terms for doing business are very restrictive. First the governor shot them in the foot, now all but a few are shooting themselves.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

2

It’s a common assumption people make; a small business has the same resources as a big business.

3

Customer service is a lost art.

By and large, customer service is seen as a drain to the bottom line. It’s a problem across all industries (of course there are exceptions.)

I worked in high tech customer support for over 30 years. The metrics on which a support rep are measured tend to drive an attitude of “how can I get rid of this guy” over “how can I help this guy.”

And now with so many employment positions unfilled, you can expect customer support/service to be even less of a priority.