Do-It-Yourself: The Age of True Customer Service Has Long Passed By

Whatever happened to the era where a marketplace shopper was greeted in this manner: "Welcome to company X! How may I help you today?"

When was the last time this melody struck your chords: "Sure, I’ll be happy to locate that for you" Or are we more likely to hear, "You’ll find it in isle 16" (a half mile downstream atop a shelf too high to reach)?

Whatever happened to the day when you got the best price whether you clipped the corresponding coupon or not?

We now seem to live in a world of do-it- yourself (DIY), get it yourself (GIY), bag it yourself (BIY), and now, you can even ring it yourself (RIY).

In return for our loyal patronage, we get the bare minimum: Customer service without a smile, merchandise returns with much attitude and combativeness, a game of hide-n-seek when looking for help; and this is all topped off with the long lines that only rival amusement parks.

Worse, is that many fast food chains now feature kiosks in which you can order it yourself (OIY)!

Companies should heed the message that cutting costs need not be sacrificed on an alter of disingenuous or rushy rush customer service.

Companies should not forget the fundamentals of customer service, which is to "Serve The Customer". There are ways to incorporate low cost customer satisfaction:

1) Place employees in high traffic areas of the store.

2) Make sure employees have casual conversations with customers and at the same time remind them of specials.

3) Create a warm atmosphere for shoppers, what happened to the calming music in stores – get shoppers excited to shop.

About the Author

Kenya Simmons is founder and CEO of Character EXCELeration, a consulting firm that specializes in character development, business management, customer service, and quality assurance. For more information contact Kenya at characterexcels@aol.com.