The Comeback of Radical Customer Service
A few months ago, I wrote about the metamorphosis of the Luxury market and the comeback of the value of hand crafted, true vintage items, art is returning to the fashion runways, and good old fashioned customer service is going to make a comeback in a big way. This has never felt more real to me than it has in the last two weeks.
I’ve always had a very high tolerance for change, so when I have encountered automated customer service systems over the years it hasn’t bothered me. But the scale has finally tipped for even me, which means it has gone too far. In the last two weeks, I encountered two scenarios that were so ridiculous that I don’t know if I have ever been so irritated and frustrated over something so stupid in my entire life.
Uber Eats is a business which I have utilized successfully at my current address for years. I had planned an entire evening around delivered sushi at the request of my amazing daughter to celebrate an accomplishment, so when I got the glorious ‘ding!’ text confirming the delivery, we were excited! Plot twist, our porch was bare.
I followed every direction on the App with no response or connection to the driver; we walked the neighborhood to see if it had been delivered to the wrong address. No luck, No sushi. Peppered within all of this was my MANY interactions with Uber Eats customer service stating repeatedly that because the food was marked ‘Delivered’, their protocol was considered successfully executed, and a refund would not be issued. I pointed out the obvious, quite nicely at first, that one would assume delivering the food to the correct address would be a significant benchmark within the protocol. Nothing I said made a difference and there was no room for reason, because I was interacting with a chat bot. I hope ‘Jeremiah’ enjoyed the $80 sushi he was supposed to deliver. I could NOT believe I had no recourse after someone had literally stolen our special dinner.
The other fiasco was about an important UPS delivery. I missed the first delivery attempt only to learn a signature was required. I signed the slip and placed it back on my door, which blew in the breeze over the entire holiday weekend for 3 days. To my horror, I received a text on Tuesday stating that I had missed delivery attempt 2, which made ZERO sense as I had been home the entire day. I spent the next two hours trying to contact UPS, upgrading my UPS account to enable delivery notifications and changes, begging the sender to change the delivery requirement of a signature. NOTHING WORKED because I could not reach an actual person, and somehow the automated system was even condescending in the simplicity of its guidance. I resorted to leaving a desperate handwritten letter on my door imploring the next delivery person to leave the package on the doorstep. I DID miss that 3rd delivery, but guess what? He took my note and took the trouble to ask the next guy to bend the rule and give it a 4th try for me. It worked!!
This was a true reminder to me, that my undying quest to help people still holds great value and purpose, and that is what has gotten me out of bed each day in my 20+ year career. Now, more than ever, the personal touch is regaining its value. I have always known that kindness, a warm hug, taking that extra minute to chat and listen—might be the only interaction a person has that day, the only friendly encounter they have had all day or longer, or the one interaction that has a major impact in their life that you might never know.
Yes, I love the finer things in life. Yes, I love the lifesaving technology I have had the opportunity to utilize and share in my career so far. Yes, I am fascinated by science and how it can enhance our lives in a million different ways.
But I absolutely love how being human, showing kindness, going the extra mile, making something with your own hands----will never be replaced or go out of style.
Trends are already showing a shift back toward a true throwback. Kids are using flip phones, fashion shows are returning to using the clothes as expressions of art-not creating pieces to be worn on the runway, people are seeking out nervous system retreats where electronics are not allowed. Luxury items are turning to one of a kind, hand crafted items not just a label. People want authenticity again after having their fill of fantastical AI generated art and customer service, and 24/7 dopamine hits from scientifically created social media baiting our eager brains.
What we are about to experience is the return of the human experience. The return of Radical Customer Service.
