Customer Service: Old Fashioned Values Still Relevant Today

I don't know if it is my imagination, but these days examples of good customer service really stand out, mostly because they are so few and far between.

At times, it seems that modern life, and the pressures of such a fast-paced society, have destroyed the culture of customer service. I think that would be an unfair judgement, but certainly an understandable one. From the "so what?" attitude you get when making a complaint, to the apparent indifference of the shop attendant, the "apathy culture" seems to reign supreme.

But why? Are these businesses so successful, are we as consumers so intent on consuming that we'll take anything thrown at us, that customer service does not matter? The truth is that any company applying what might be seen as "old fashioned" customer service values, can make themselves stand out from the crowd.

Of course the usual generalisations are made, "it's Gen Y", or "everyone is selfish these days" - but that's nonsense. The fact is that there ARE businesses out there giving excellent customer service. It is an aspect of the culture of a business, and as such it starts with the business owner(s) and cascades downwards. If you, as a business owner, promote certain customer service values, it will permeate your entire organisation. Your training materials will reflect the culture, all new staff and associates will pick up the vibe from day 1, and customer service will simply establish itself as "the norm". With larger organisations, fixing this up could prove difficult and costly, but with the agile nature of a small business, it's a lot easier to start putting things right.

is it worth the effort? In a world where we are competing with so many others, providing good customer service, and giving our clients the best value possible, can actually give us a distinct edge over our competitors - a point well worth noting I think.