Why is customer service *so* bad now?

[Anonymous]

^^bug me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current crop of youngsters has been told corporate America is evil, Boomers and Gen X are keeping them down, they shouldn't have to work hard, everyone is entitled to a good life and healthcare, and hard work is for suckers.

You reap what you sow.

This is going to make me feel like a very old person, rambling on about walking 10 miles to school every day in 2 feet of snow with no shoes, or some such nonsense, but ... I think there is at least some truth to this.

I don't really agree with the generation-warfare bait that is set here, but there is no question that culture shifts and younger workers appear to expect to get more and give less when it comes to employment. The pandemic paid a huge role in our shifting mores, but we were well on this path before then. I remember almost 20 years ago, as a Gen X'r, pushing to hire a certain person, a millenial, having been super impressed when I interviewed him. We hired him when I pushed for it. He proceeded to embarrass the hell out of me by taking all of his leave as he accrued it the first six months and then asking for emergency advance leave -- to go skydiving. I was horrified. Times have changed, and most Gen Z would think that guy was in the right, and I am a fool for allowing my job to suck as much out of me as possible and very much in the wrong for judging him over his zero leave balance. Things have shifted. A lot.

But I think the bad customer service is mostly attributable to the low unemployment rate and how that keeps employers, especially those who hire people in customer facing roles, from firing crappy performers. They simply can't replace them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced it's the low unemployment rate. My job pays $45 an hour and you need to be smart and personable but you don't need an education beyond a high school degree, and we are having trouble getting and keeping people. Even though we have a great work environment.

Retail/customer service jobs pay a lot less and are a lot less rewarding than my job. It's very hard in this climate of low unemployment to keep low-paying customer service roles like that staffed. This means that surly employees who give crappy service don't get fired -- there isn't anyone to replace them with. If there are 100 people who want your job, you need to behave. If no one wants your job, and the job needs to get done, then, well, you don't need to be all that great.

$45 dollars an hour is $90,000 a year!!!! That’s insane for an easy job. Offer it on teacher website and you will get takers.

[Anonymous]

I think its part of the philosophy of waht I call "DIY America." Companies, drs offices, everywhere just wants you to handle things yourself.

Check out yourself, buy things yourself, got a problem? Just try and handle it yourself before calling anyone. Little issues that used to take 10 minutes to resolve now involve going to an online chat, waiting for an AI bot to understand you need a person, finally getting a person, looking up accounts, explaining the problem, getting a new person, explaining the problem again.

It's exhausting on both sides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced it's the low unemployment rate. My job pays $45 an hour and you need to be smart and personable but you don't need an education beyond a high school degree, and we are having trouble getting and keeping people. Even though we have a great work environment.

Retail/customer service jobs pay a lot less and are a lot less rewarding than my job. It's very hard in this climate of low unemployment to keep low-paying customer service roles like that staffed. This means that surly employees who give crappy service don't get fired -- there isn't anyone to replace them with. If there are 100 people who want your job, you need to behave. If no one wants your job, and the job needs to get done, then, well, you don't need to be all that great.

Where do you work, if you don't mind me asking?

- smart & personable

This isn't exactly where I work, I'm trying not to give myself away here, lol. But here is a link that is on point. I was referring to the PETA position. The standardized patient position pays less. The GUTA position pays more. https://jobs.jhu.edu/job/Baltimore-Standardized-PatientPETAGUTA-MD-21287/1147601300/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced it's the low unemployment rate. My job pays $45 an hour and you need to be smart and personable but you don't need an education beyond a high school degree, and we are having trouble getting and keeping people. Even though we have a great work environment.

Retail/customer service jobs pay a lot less and are a lot less rewarding than my job. It's very hard in this climate of low unemployment to keep low-paying customer service roles like that staffed. This means that surly employees who give crappy service don't get fired -- there isn't anyone to replace them with. If there are 100 people who want your job, you need to behave. If no one wants your job, and the job needs to get done, then, well, you don't need to be all that great.

$45 dollars an hour is $90,000 a year!!!! That’s insane for an easy job. Offer it on teacher website and you will get takers.

PP here.

Lol. I said it doesn't require an education beyond high school. I didn't say it is "an easy job." One of the reasons we have trouble getting people is that even though we will totally train people, and pay them for the training program, not everyone --even after extensive training -- is capable of doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced it's the low unemployment rate. My job pays $45 an hour and you need to be smart and personable but you don't need an education beyond a high school degree, and we are having trouble getting and keeping people. Even though we have a great work environment.

Retail/customer service jobs pay a lot less and are a lot less rewarding than my job. It's very hard in this climate of low unemployment to keep low-paying customer service roles like that staffed. This means that surly employees who give crappy service don't get fired -- there isn't anyone to replace them with. If there are 100 people who want your job, you need to behave. If no one wants your job, and the job needs to get done, then, well, you don't need to be all that great.

$45 dollars an hour is $90,000 a year!!!! That’s insane for an easy job. Offer it on teacher website and you will get takers.

PP here.

Lol. I said it doesn't require an education beyond high school. I didn't say it is "an easy job." One of the reasons we have trouble getting people is that even though we will totally train people, and pay them for the training program, not everyone --even after extensive training -- is capable of doing it.

Seriously recruit teachers. No way it is harder than teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think its part of the philosophy of waht I call "DIY America." Companies, drs offices, everywhere just wants you to handle things yourself.

Check out yourself, buy things yourself, got a problem? Just try and handle it yourself before calling anyone. Little issues that used to take 10 minutes to resolve now involve going to an online chat, waiting for an AI bot to understand you need a person, finally getting a person, looking up accounts, explaining the problem, getting a new person, explaining the problem again.

It's exhausting on both sides.

OMG, this is giving me a horrible flashback to the time I spent two hours on chat with Amazon Prime customer service when I couldn't get a tv show I'd paid for to play on my tv with my firestick. Over two hours of chat, and it still wasn't resolved. I finally just ended the chat in a rage. Then I typed the problem into ChapGPT and what did I get? Instructions that were verbatim what the Amazon chat person had been giving me. So frustrating. You know what finally worked? Unplugging the firestick and plugging it back in. Which we came up with ourselves (and would have figured out hours earlier if I hadn't been doing all of the bs the person on chat had me trying).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm convinced it's the low unemployment rate. My job pays $45 an hour and you need to be smart and personable but you don't need an education beyond a high school degree, and we are having trouble getting and keeping people. Even though we have a great work environment.

Retail/customer service jobs pay a lot less and are a lot less rewarding than my job. It's very hard in this climate of low unemployment to keep low-paying customer service roles like that staffed. This means that surly employees who give crappy service don't get fired -- there isn't anyone to replace them with. If there are 100 people who want your job, you need to behave. If no one wants your job, and the job needs to get done, then, well, you don't need to be all that great.

$45 dollars an hour is $90,000 a year!!!! That’s insane for an easy job. Offer it on teacher website and you will get takers.

PP here.

Lol. I said it doesn't require an education beyond high school. I didn't say it is "an easy job." One of the reasons we have trouble getting people is that even though we will totally train people, and pay them for the training program, not everyone --even after extensive training -- is capable of doing it.

Seriously recruit teachers. No way it is harder than teaching.

Lol. We have. Because the job actually does involve teaching. None of them have worked out (easily overwhelmed by the material).

[Anonymous]

Those crazy youngsters, how dare they expect healthcare! If they break their leg they should go into debt for life!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Every time these threads crop up, I suspect it's mostly the author who is the problem. I hardly ever encounter poor customer service, but then I'm always someone who makes eye contact with the waitress/cashier/customer rep, treats them like a human being and mind my manners.

You generally receive what you put in.

People who write such posts get up on the wrong side of the bed, go about with surly faces, and then proceed to notice every negative interaction they have.

+1000

This. OP you need to tread people in service positions better. I don't come in with guns blazing when I have an issue, I always say "please" "thank you" "I appreciate it" in a kind (not demanding) tone. I treat service people like my peers (because they are), and not like servants.

Give good behavior and you'll receive it back.

X100 op, the problem is you. I rarely have bad interactions with customer service. But I also make a point of treating them the same way I’d treat neighbors- friendly, look in the eye, thank you, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think its part of the philosophy of waht I call "DIY America." Companies, drs offices, everywhere just wants you to handle things yourself.

Check out yourself, buy things yourself, got a problem? Just try and handle it yourself before calling anyone. Little issues that used to take 10 minutes to resolve now involve going to an online chat, waiting for an AI bot to understand you need a person, finally getting a person, looking up accounts, explaining the problem, getting a new person, explaining the problem again.

It's exhausting on both sides.

I will admit that I refuse to check myself into my medical appointments before I show up. Why should I have to scroll through 10 pages of stuff on my phone if the exact same info can be covered at the reception desk with a dimple ‘has anything changed since your last appointment? Nope.’ My free time is my.free.time.

[Anonymous]

Inflation, you need to make 200k to scrape into the middle class that changed since the last administration

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The current crop of youngsters has been told corporate America is evil, Boomers and Gen X are keeping them down, they shouldn't have to work hard, everyone is entitled to a good life and healthcare, and hard work is for suckers.

You reap what you sow.

Good summation of what young people believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Every time these threads crop up, I suspect it's mostly the author who is the problem. I hardly ever encounter poor customer service, but then I'm always someone who makes eye contact with the waitress/cashier/customer rep, treats them like a human being and mind my manners.

You generally receive what you put in.

People who write such posts get up on the wrong side of the bed, go about with surly faces, and then proceed to notice every negative interaction they have.

+1000

This. OP you need to tread people in service positions better. I don't come in with guns blazing when I have an issue, I always say "please" "thank you" "I appreciate it" in a kind (not demanding) tone. I treat service people like my peers (because they are), and not like servants.

Give good behavior and you'll receive it back.

X100 op, the problem is you. I rarely have bad interactions with customer service. But I also make a point of treating them the same way I’d treat neighbors- friendly, look in the eye, thank you, etc.

Disagree. I’m nice and polite to service people too. Some people just have a chip on their shoulder. It’s a reality.