Customer Service :: THIS IS A SERVICE ECONOMY?

Economists call ours a service economy, But, you'd never know it from the difficulty consumer experience in finding genuinely friendly, helpful personal service.

What consumers are getting, instead, is service people who treat them like road kill, or who seem to be " out to lunch." or who quickly disappear when they see a customer approaching.

Business Week magazine wrote: "At many departement store these days the customer isn't always right. In fact, the customer is barely tolerated.

Eric Sevareid, former CBS News commentator, believes that service in our "service economy" has worsened. that bothers him. He says: " The decline of service goes along with the decline of civility. Civility, kindness, patience with others is what makes a democratic, civilized society operate. if you forego those things, what have you got?"

Tom Peters and Nancy Austin, in their popular book A Passion for Excellence, poin out that retailing often gives "no distinguishing service" and, as a result, has "reaped the reward
-fed-up customers...."

They write: "Common decency, common courtesy...is the exception."

When Peters and Austin refer to "retailing," they really ought to say "some retailers over and over again. that leaves a sizable number of retailers whose names never show up negatively in consumer surveys.

People under 25 may never have seen a service station attendant wipe windshields expect in the 1983 movie Back to the future, where employees buzzed around a car with liquid glass cleaner, chamois and water can as if they were competing for a Service Attendant of the Year award.

When the media hear about a service station with service, they make a feature story out of it. newspaper raved about Eastham's service station on Wisconsin Avenue in Bathesda, Maryland. Twoo EAStham attendants run toward every car that pulls up to the pumps. "Good morning!" they yell out to the driver. they scurry about swiftly pumping gas, cleaning every inch of glass, and shouting for the driver to unlatch the car's hood. hand fly among the hoses and belts, cheking oil and water levels.