Is Customer Service A Lost Art? Mitch Savoie Hill, CPC

Mitch Savoie Hill, CPC | Vice President of Membership CEO SavHill Consulting LLC

Tell me if this has happened to you.

You call a customer service line to ask questions about an error on your bill. Let’s say it’s a phone bill. You get a slew of circuitous prompts from an AI bot and about 20 minutes later the hold music is imprinted on your brain and you have gotten nowhere. You hang up in frustration, try the chat, emailing a service ticket, texting with a text “agent” you know full well is just another AI bot posing as a person. One hour later, you are nowhere closer to a resolution.

You decide you will try your luck with a phone call again. Finally, after another 20 minutes of BAD HOLD music, someone picks up! Your heart skips a beat. It’s an actual person - not a bot - the Joy! Only you are greeted by a human voice as robotic as AI. They tell you they are there to help but sound like they have very little interest in doing so. You explain your trials and tribulations, clearly stating the exact problem and the amount of time you have invested with no resolution. You hear…nothing…no acknowledgment, no hold music - Silence.

“Um…Hello? Are you still there?” You panic - did we get cut off after all this? Oh No!

The robotic voice responds, annoyed, “Yes! I am here. I am trying to pull up your account.”

You then proceed to answer the same questions the AI bot put you through at the beginning of this call, which now feels like a lifetime ago, and re-explain the situation for the third time as your customer “service” representative keeps getting it twisted. Then…silence again.

“Hello? Are you there? Did you get all that?”

Silence for a few more seconds. Awkward!

Then, the voice responds with increased irritation, as if you are being the nuisance,

“Yes! I get it. I am trying to help you! I can only work with the tools they give me!”

At this point, you settle in, take a few deep breaths, and prepare for a long call.

The coach in me wants to offer constructive feedback every time I am faced with a customer “Dis-service” situation. I want to say,

“You know, if you give me a good acknowledgment after I finish speaking, then it will make me feel understood and I will relax. When you say nothing, you create confusion and more frustration.”

But the problem is I would be coaching for free all day because the customer service issues have gone way beyond the call centers. I encounter detached, dismissive, or worse, defensive interactions at the pharmacy, the grocery store, restaurants (yes, even the expensive ones), and...my doctor’s office? Say it isn't so!

Is genuine customer service a lost art?

If so, how did we lose it?

· Is it too much screen interaction and not enough eye contact practice?

· Is it that we have gone so digital that we forgot how to communicate verbally and in real life?

· Did companies stop focusing on training and rewarding of great service to the point that no one feels motivated or accountable?

· Have we lost touch with the importance and the meaning of true Hospitality?

The Flip-Side

As a coach and trainer, I try to look at things from all angles. There are many sides to this issue. Let’s consider the other side of the problem as well.

· Have people (AKA - The Customers) become increasingly entitled, combative, and so difficult that it has reduced the desire to provide good service?

My sister-in-law works for the Social Security office. She is a hard worker with a true servant heart. She was one of the only employees working in her office during the government shutdown, showing up to help people every day, overloaded with paperwork and calls, working herself sick - for No Pay!

What did she get in return?

The horror stories she shared about the daily rude, demeaning, and abusive treatment she received from unreasonable and unruly people made me want to cry for her.

How do we train and equip the people who have to deal with the most difficult customer situations?

The Solution?

I have been asked by many leaders, “How do we get our customer-facing team members to care?”

At this point in the game, there is no easy, quick-fix answer.

The solution to customer service challenges requires deep analysis of each company, team, or individual I work with. It involves providing many different tools, hours of coaching, accountability systems, and effective leadership - leadership that exemplifies the desired behaviors and communicates the vision in a way that is personally motivating to each team member.

While I can’t solve all your customer dis-service issues with one article, here are some points to consider:

1. Begin with a clear Vision - Why is this important?

2. Exemplify and reward the behaviors you want to see

3. Provide ongoing training on communication and interpersonal skills like DISC and Emotional Intelligence

4. Equip people with tools to deal with difficult situations and conflicts

5. Empower people to come up with creative solutions to common problems

6. Role-play daily

7. Offer regular constructive feedback that prompts real improvement and growth

8. Foster a culture of service

That last point is crucial.

A Culture of Service

When I worked as a leader in a five-star hotel, the specific five-star verbiage we were expected to use was not just for hotel guests, but every interaction, verbal or written, whether with direct reports, co-workers, or even vendors. The five-star points of service were part of everything we did every single day. We held regularly scheduled training sessions for constant reminding and reinforcement. You improve the habits you focus on. What are we focusing on? Just look at the cultural norms and you will know. How do we make a shift back to hospitality in daily life? Focus on service in every detail, in everything we do.

The Hope

These are some of the foundations of not just great service, but great leadership. A great leader is a great servant. The rules of engagement apply to all areas of business and life. People will become your most loyal customers, members, or employees if you can masterfully wield these tools. It takes practice, daily practice. When we get it wrong,

it requires introspection and an honest analysis of what went wrong and how we would do it differently next time.

This work is so deeply important to me that I have spent countless hours creating and delivering programs to help leaders and teams spark a major shift back to service-first principles. When we focus on serving, as leaders, as association members, or even as parents, we inspire more cooperation, proactivity, resolution, and success.

My big, ambitious hope?

I hope to see more focus, practice, and proficiency in this area so that we will truly witness a resurgence of this lost art - the Art of Genuine Customer Service.

Mitch Savoie Hill, CPC is a Certified Professional Coach, TEDx speaker, author, and CEO of SavHill Consulting LLC. With over 25 years of experience in Sales, Hospitality, Training, and Leadership, she delivers engaging and energetic presentations, corporate training sessions, as well as 1:1 coaching to help her clients clarify their vision, map out effective strategies toward that vision, and Stretch Their Horizons!

Find out how Mitch can help you and your team achieve greater productivity, proactivity, and success!