Has customer service gotten worse since the pandemic?

[Scotrail12]

I feel like people in customer service have became increasingly difficult to deal with since the pandemic, and am wondering if others feel the same. Staff are seldom friendly (particularly if they're of the younger generation - I'm 21 myself so not being ageist) and it feels like corners are often being cut in places like restaurants and cafes.

I'm not disputing that some customers are rude but politeness is a two-way street.

 

[Russel]

Yes, I've noticed a more pronounced 'take it or leave it' attitude creeping into customer service over the last couple of years.

 

[duncanp]

I would agree that customer service has got worse, and a lot customer unfriendly practices have been introduced in recent years.

Many large companies (eg. banks, utiities, broadband and phone providers) have made it all but impossible to speak to a real human being.

The customer service telephone numbers and e-mail adresses have been removed from the website, and seemingly the only option is to use online chat, or speak to an automated voice on the phone.

 

[WelshBluebird]

It has, but I wouldn't say it is as related to the pandemic as you suggest. Customer service has been on a decline for years!

 

[LowLevel]

People say the same about the general behaviour of the public which will of course reflect on the subject of this thread as we are all humans!

The economic situation probably doesn't help either as less is spent on niceties.

 

[nw1]

Not from the staff themselves, but certainly from the attitudes of corporations who seem to want to take human contact out of the whole equation, to cut costs of course.

 

[nlogax]

The pandemic is just one reason! If nothing else it accelerated what was already happening in slow(er) motion.

 

[Broucek]

Someone asked this on Mumsnet recently and there was general agreement.

In the private sector, it can be particularly hard for a retail customer trying to deal with a big bureacratic organisation.

And parts of the public sector seem to have recovered VERY slowly from the pandemic, possibly because there are not the commerical/job security pressures for for being responsive, e.g. Land Registry, state pensions admin.

 

[nw1]

The customer service telephone numbers and e-mail adresses have been removed from the website,

That absolutely infuriates me.

and seemingly the only option is to use online chat, or speak to an automated voice on the phone.

PLEASE CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS

The only option I'll choose is for you to get rid of your damned system and speak to a human being!

Ironically the smaller companies are better for real human contact, and they are the ones presumably less able to afford it!

 

[MotCO]

I've not found customer service in shops, restaurants, hotels etc to be any different. Where it is noticeably worse are the telephone help lines - "Your call is important to us, but we can't be bothered to get enough staff to answer the calls within 5 minutes". Even when you get through, the staff cannot /do not want to resolve your problem. A case in point - I renewed my car insurance by phone (I needed some changes) having waited 40 minutes or so for them to answer the phone, but they charged my credit card with an amount exactly double what it should have been. It took three phone calls to resolve, and the third call was able to sort it whereas the others did not or could not.

 

[Broucek]

Part of the problem is just how large and diverse modern corporations are. I work for a large professional services firm with nearly 100,000 global employees and we are, by and large, pretty competent. I had a call from someone needing something a million miles away from what I do (think, calling National Rail Enquiries about out-of-hours pharmacy services). I tried to apologise and let him go but I was the sixth person he was connected to.... (I found someone in the end but it wasn't easy)

 

[route101]

Fast food joints have been noticeable. McDonalds used to lead the way but its slipped.

 

[Kite159]

Fast food joints have been noticeable. McDonalds used to lead the way but its slipped.

Although that might be down to McDonalds cutting back on number of staff in some restaurants (mainly via natural wastage) so the remaining staff have to work harder.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Fast food joints have been noticeable. McDonalds used to lead the way but its slipped.

Although that might be down to McDonalds cutting back on number of staff in some restaurants (mainly via natural wastage) so the remaining staff have to work harder.

Or maybe standards are possibly more variable at (the steadily increasing number of) McDonald's franchises?

 

[Lewisham2221]

Fast food joints have been noticeable. McDonalds used to lead the way but its slipped.

I think a lot of this is a result of their home delivery services really taking off through the pandemic. In store and drive through (where applicable) custom doesn't appear to have dropped off significantly, but there's now a significant amount of extra custom for delivery. And very little seems to have changed with the restaurants themselves to accommodate this increase. There appear to be almost constant queues at drive through locally, as customers sit waiting whilst staff seemingly deal with delivery orders first, and it's a similar story if you order inside, too. The experience isn't helped by the impatient mass of (presumably self employed) delivery drivers, who often just barge their way through the waiting customers and abandon their cars wherever they wish. I've given up trying to order for delivery, as the past few times I have, significant portions of the order have been missing - no doubt due to the staff rushing to try and keep thr impatient delivery drivers happy.

 

[ikcdab]

I feel like people in customer service have became increasingly difficult to deal with since the pandemic, and am wondering if others feel the same. Staff are seldom friendly (particularly if they're of the younger generation - I'm 21 myself so not being ageist) and it feels like corners are often being cut in places like restaurants and cafes.

I'm not disputing that some customers are rude but politeness is a two-way street.

I think it's important you remember that people in customer service (just like politicians, estate agents etc) don't mysteriously drop out of thin air into their jobs. They are actually ordinary members of the public who apply for these jobs. So if customer services people are more difficult to deal with or politicians less trustworthy etc, then all it is doing is reflecting general society.
We are looking into a mirror.

 

[jon0844]

I think a lot of this is a result of their home delivery services really taking off through the pandemic. In store and drive through (where applicable) custom doesn't appear to have dropped off significantly, but there's now a significant amount of extra custom for delivery. And very little seems to have changed with the restaurants themselves to accommodate this increase. There appear to be almost constant queues at drive through locally, as customers sit waiting whilst staff seemingly deal with delivery orders first, and it's a similar story if you order inside, too. The experience isn't helped by the impatient mass of (presumably self employed) delivery drivers, who often just barge their way through the waiting customers and abandon their cars wherever they wish. I've given up trying to order for delivery, as the past few times I have, significant portions of the order have been missing - no doubt due to the staff rushing to try and keep thr impatient delivery drivers happy.

Recently at my local McDonald's there was one Just-Eat driver who appeared to be acting out an alpha male role and demanding staff did this and that. At one point he attempted to go behind the counter to get what he said were his items, while talking to other drivers (even from other companies) about how bad McDonald's was, swearing presumably loud enough to be heard by the staff be was ridiculing and perhaps forgetting, or not caring, that he was surrounded by families and children. He took multiple orders and had more the one phone, and couldn't close the bag - so some poor customers were destined to get cold food as he did a series of drops in one go. I know more drivers are singing in won't multiple apps to earn more money, and as they're timed for delivery one wonders how they manage - but sometimes they have someone else with them (maybe their kid) and perhaps they split the deliveries up outside.

McDonald's has been trying to clamp down on a lot of dodgy things these drivers now do, and won't hand items over to people who don't have a proper bag with them. In the past, some use shopping bags or just carry the items loose.

Ultimately, the stores need more staff to cope with these people, many of which are people you'd never dream of employing given their attitudes, and that all prevents them providing a good service to the other customers.

 

[Iskra]

The hospitality industry lost a whole cadre of experienced professionals during and around the time of the pandemic for various reasons, when it must be said some customers were horrific to deal with as staff were left in a tough position regarding encouraging the following of many new and interesting guidelines, which some patrons passionately cared about and others passionately detested. These staff generally left the industry to work in jobs with better work life balance and away from face-to-face customer interaction, because it was simply much easier.

Since the pandemic I have found a general decline in the quality, consistency and attention to detail of service in restaurants etc. I think some of this is from the absolute pasting hospitality has taken over recent years, but also there’s a couple of age groups that missed out on doing the entry level hospitality jobs that do give valuable experience that can be used later on life, as well as a slightly more interesting attitude towards what work is about since the pandemic.

I would also say that there has possibly been a slight decline in the quality of customers too. While the vast majority are sound, I find that those with issues are getting worse about it, when most are simply resolved, but I put this down to social media culture which usually rewards those who ‘shout loudest.’ In reality, being unpleasant or dramatic won’t get the most positive resolution but a lot of people don’t seem to understand that basic civility goes a long way.