Whatever happened to good customer service?  Many of the current readers of this Blog may be too young to remember but, you use to be able to go grocery shopping and could have your groceries bagged and carried to your car.  There use to be a time when you went to the gas station and an attendant would fill your car, wash your windows, check your oil and tires and collect your money from the car window.  People and businesses were rewarded for their good customer service and being kind to others was not only a sign of courtesy, but a reflection of your good home training as well.  We all placed significant value on good customer service simply because it reflected our understanding of the Golden Rule “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Times however have changed and it seems as though good customer service is no longer considered relevant.  We have become a self serve, disposable, individualistic and to our detriment impersonal society.  Technology has eliminated our need for personal interaction and in many ways reduced us to bits and bytes within a matrix, trying to choose between the green or red pill.  It is no longer possible to call a business and speak to a live person.  Instead we are asked to listen to a “menu” because the features of an automated call device may have recently been changed.  We should however remember that we live in a causal effect universe.  For every action (or non action) there is an equal and opposite reaction.  When you eliminate personal interactions, people become impersonal.  When you choose to be rude people will likewise be rude to you.

At BarterLink we believe that courteous, professional and personal service is essential.  These elements of our business will not be compromised.  Businesses would be well served by rethinking their customer service components.  You might be surprised how your business will change when you start to “do unto your customers as you would have them do unto you”.