Content Contributor: Wendy BC
"Hear the Hurt. Elevate the Voices. Spark the Change."
Advocacy in Action: The Vanishing Art of True Customer Service
Have you ever concluded a customer service interaction feeling disregarded or overlooked? Conversely, have you experienced such exceptional care and effective problem resolution that it left you compelled to express your gratitude in a meaningful way? You wanted to bake brownies for the representative who solved your problem!
That gulf - the one between "knock your socks off" customer care and the gradual decline of meaningful support - is where our advocacy must step in.
The Gold Standard: Knock-Your-Socks-Off Service
Customer service at its finest isn't just transactional, it's transformational. It's the person who:
- Remembers your name.
- Solves your problem without passing the buck.
- Makes you feel like you matter.
Empathy paired with efficiency. Compassion combined with competence.
It is diminishing at an increasingly rapid pace.
When Service Vanishes: A Real-Life Frustration
So, here's the deal – I hit up Xfinity today about my Internet and Mobile services. I logged into my account, and sure enough, both were right there under "Services" (Internet...Mobile). But guess what? I couldn’t see any of the Mobile details. Like, how much are they taking out of my bank account? Turns out, my user role was set to "Manager" instead of "Primary" – even though I’m the account owner. Like, seriously?
What came next? A two-hour adventure with five (yep, 5) different CHAT agents. Each one swore up and down they were "the one" to fix it. One even bragged about being in the job for five years (there’s that five again) and said he "loved" it—his exact words. So, of course, he’d fix it. Spoiler alert: nope, he didn’t!
The most frustrating thing about the chat? Figuring out when one agent peaced out and a new one jumped in—no warning, no heads-up, nada. Just boom, suddenly I’m chatting with “Teddy Bear Tim” because their name magically appeared on my screen. Seriously?! Now I’ve got to start all over again from the beginning... for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th time!
Instead:
- I was shown outdated information from an old, inactive account.
- Agents had to "read the chat" to understand my issue - over and over again.
- No one could change my role, correct the email, or restore Mobile access.
All I needed was:
- A role change to "Primary".
- Mobile service visibility and access.
- A simple email correction.
Thanks to today’s fantastic technology, I expected a quick resolution with just a few clicks and a capable agent. Instead, I felt a bit frustrated and overlooked, as I'm still missing key details about my Mobile service, which seems to have vanished from the Services tab. And yes, the agents were offshore - in India. This isn't about geography. It's about training, accountability, and respect for the customer.
The Real Issue: Profits vs. People
A lot of companies see customer service as just another cost to cut instead of something worth focusing on. They’ll spend tons on marketing but hardly give service a second thought.
- Automated bots instead of humans.
- Murky policies and endless loops of "Let me transfer you..."
- Loyalty eroded not by one mistake, but by consistent indifference.
Advocacy Starts Here
This blog is more than a vent - it's a rally. Let's demand better!
- Support companies that invest in domestic, empathetic service teams.
- Use social platforms and reviews to recognize excellent service and hold poor service accountable.
- Remind CEOs that every service call is a brand moment.
And for those of us building our ventures - let's pledge that our customer service will be the story people tell others, for all the right reasons.
"Hear the Hurt. Elevate the Voices. Spark the Change."
Got a customer service story to share—good or bad? Drop it in the comments! Who knows, if enough of you share, I might turn it into a book and send it to the CEO of these large companies with a little handwritten note. How cool would that be?
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