Keeping the Human Element in Customer Service

There is little in life that makes consumers more perturbed at a business than improper or insufficient phone etiquette. In the business world, there is no excuse for unprofessional behavior when speaking with customers and clients over the telephone. Unfortunately, I'm referring to much more than just incompetence, rudeness or poor grammar. It seems that today's customer service representatives are becoming more and more inhuman with each passing year. Perhaps the sheer volume of calls that employees are expected to field has made the robotic and monotonous tones that make me cringe ever more noticeable.

Personally, if I am going to be read a script, I would almost prefer an automated voice so that I don't have to suffer through the lackadaisical and condescending tone of voice that I have now become accustomed to, much to my chagrin. I wonder what has happened to the human element in conducting business. Don't corporations realize that customer service is not a forced option, but instead an opportunity to present their business to the world? One can easily distinguish the difference between a call made to a business for the purpose of buying a product and a call made to a business for the purpose of receiving help or information. When there is money you want to spend on the line, you can count on a friendly encounter. When it's a call made over services already rendered or money you owe, it is as though you are now a second class consumer. Some businesses have now taken to requiring their employees to ask you if they have sufficiently served your needs after each phone call. By doing so, they are attempting to limit their goodwill liability. I find it sad that we have become a nation where technicalities have replaced common sense and proper etiquette. If companies would simply give their employees the resources and time to follow the golden rule when it comes to human interaction, consumers and businesses alike would reap the benefits. I know that, personally, I am more than willing to forgive a billing, shipping, or other type of error if am simply treated with a modicum of respect.