Customer service is broken, and this piece walks through why it feels that way, shares two telling encounters, points out cultural and managerial shifts that created the problem, and lays out practical, no-cost steps businesses can take to restore decent interactions between staff and customers.
Every time I hear the phrase “customer service,” I want to groan. That reaction isn’t nostalgia for some mythic past so much as a recognition that what used to be normal — basic respect and attention — is now increasingly rare.
There are small moments that reveal the rot. At one store I asked where kerosene was kept and received: “If we had any it would be, like … over on one of those aisles,” followed by “I can’t leave the register.” A second worker later checked the system and, when I mentioned the front-counter shrug, defended her: “Yeah, but she’s new.”
At another place, a server dropped our food and walked away without silverware, napkins, or condiments. When I asked, “May we have some silverware, please?” she gave a blank stare and then hauled them over like it was an extra chore. Those tiny moments add up to a feeling of indifference or outright contempt.
The unspoken but obvious ethos is: ‘The customer is always wrong, and also he is oppressing me, a poor proletariat worker.’ That line captures the cultural tilt I see in a lot of service interactions: employees framed as aggrieved classes and customers framed as the problem.
Part of the issue is training and structure. Too many places have swapped flexible judgment for rigid scripts and box-checking. When every exchange must follow a script, staff are trained to recite rather than to think, and any question outside the script leaves them flummoxed rather than helpful.
Compare that with an older approach that emphasized being pleasant and using judgment. In a training clip a manager tells staff: “I was talking to [an employee] a little bit earlier, and he said that he was feeling really stiff having to say, ‘Welcome to McDonald’s, welcome to McDonald’s,’ over and over again,” she said. “So I told him what we tell our people all the time: Say what feels natural. But say it with a warm, sincere smile.” That advice puts discretion and warmth ahead of robotic repetition.
There’s also a generation gap in expectations. Employers complain about skills and socialization, and yes, some young hires lack basic customer-facing habits. But employers must choose whether to demand better, train better, or accept a lower standard of interaction. Businesses that want returning customers will invest time in simple behavioral basics.
Fixing this doesn’t require fancier equipment or higher prices; it requires clearer norms and consistent practice. Staff should be encouraged to make eye contact, greet people, and anticipate needs without waiting to be told. Those habits are teachable and measurable, and they cost nothing but attention.
Practical steps for any store or restaurant are straightforward and often free:
- Look people in the eye and acknowledge them when they enter.
- Greet with a friendly tone and a clear offer to help.
- Keep your station ready: phones away, supplies stocked, workspace neat.
- Avoid rigid verbatim scripts; role-play scenarios and teach principles instead of phrases.
- Give employees discretion to solve problems in the moment and reward good judgment.
- If you can’t trust staff to use basic discretion, reconsider hiring, training, or management.
None of these ideas requires big budgets — they need leadership that cares about how customers feel and how employees are coached. It’s a management choice more than an economic one, and the places that choose it will stand out in a sea of apathy.
Good customer interactions are simple to spot and easy to demand: polite attention, basic preparation, and the freedom to act kindly and intelligently. If businesses want better service, they can start by restoring those basics today.
