Does an Economic Downturn = Better Service?
Spending a good amount of time in our nation's retail outlets this past weekend, I noticed an interesting trend: with stores vying for consumer dollars, they are really stepping up their customer service efforts in order to increase sales.
From the supermarket to the Home Depot, sales associates could not have been more cheerful or helpful in their attempts to assist me. Some outlets are going to even greater lengths. In the American auto industry on the brink of disaster, there are tales of dealerships giving away used cars when you buy a new one.
While it is disheartening that there are fewer jobs to come by this holiday season, I have to think that one positive byproduct of the current economic downturn is better customer service. (That, and great bargains!)
I will explore the topic of customer service in greater depth in the cover story of our January/February 2009 issue.