There are a number of reasons why customer service may feel worse, like a shortage in workers in some industries, the proliferation of tech as a part of the process, and a lack of incentive for companies without competition. (Have you ever tried to contact your internet provider about anything?)
I'm not going to lie, this is a little removed from usual shares on food, culture and the business of hospitality. While my company is very much customer service driven, I find that is by far not the norm anymore. Especially so with large corporations that seemingly have no accountability. So more than anything, today's thread is a rant of sort.
As we move through the post-pandemic period, it’s been comforting to witness more signs of normalcy. Travel is rebounding, supply chains are recovering and people are back in the office. All good news! But as someone who has spent most of their career in customer experience, I’ve been disappointed in the caliber of customer service as the pandemic unwinds.
So far, there hasn’t been a rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and that’s troubling. While consumers may have been sympathetic to the struggles of businesses while navigating the pandemic, patience is running thin. According to Hubspot, 93% of customer service teams say customers have higher expectations than ever. Clearly, now is not the time to take a "good enough" approach.
Bad customer service is when a customer feels their expectations were not met. According to our Trends Report, the top indicators of poor customer service include long wait times, an automated system that makes it hard to reach a human agent, and having to repeat information multiple times.
People have expectations for how a company will serve them. If your customer support is not up to par, it can spell bad news for your brand. When customers have a negative service experience, they’re often quick to voice their complaints on social media. The message is clear: You can’t afford to ignore these annoyances in today’s digitally connected world.
And finally, my list of companies with terrible customer service, let's say a compilation from the pandemic period to most recent. Worstest to worst if you will. You likely have your own list, feel free to share at the end of the post in out reader poll.
Lynx airlines; cheap no frills flights, in my case late leaving and arriving... Have a look at my email threads with them, hilarious.
Dollarama; cheap Chinese crap, no returns, no refunds
Square credit card processing; lost $300 on a transaction
Take a Chef online chef bookings; American event booking site stealing business from Canadian Chefs
Tim Hortons; no longer a Canadian company, terrible coffee and food poisoning on a few occasions.
Canada Post; lost mail and parcels on numerous occasions.
A Special shout out to the Government of Canada, and yes the Government is a business (corporation). There is no more corrupt business in Canada!
What's your number one worst customer service experience?
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Cheers, and have a great week!
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