Why is Good Customer Service No Longer a Top Priority?

During my previous experience in both retail and sales management customer service has always been a top priority. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any organization that deals directly with the public. Actually the type of customer service that people experience can either make or break your business. Have businesses gotten way from providing good customer service?

Recently I had a terrible customer service experience with a rental car company. The vehicle that was issued to me was in substandard condition. First, it had not been cleaned. Secondly, for the vehicle to be a 2010 model it had extremely high mileage. Lastly, there was only a half a tank of gas in the vehicle. I was so frustrated with the service I had received that it literally spoiled my vacation. I could not wait to return this vehicle to express my displeasure with the bad customer service that I had received. When I took the car back I spoke with the manager about my experience. The manager was very unprofessional by displaying a laissez faire attitude about the entire situation. It made me wonder if customer service was still a top priority for business organizations. It has been proven countless times that when someone has a bad customer service experience he/she is going to tell at least ten of their friends. I remember when I worked as a department manager a customer was upset about returning an item. The irony of the situation was the fact the item that the customer was trying to return was a hammer. At the time we did not sell hammers at my store. Keeping good customer service in mind, I returned the hammer and eventually took it to the store where she had purchased it from. This customer received an outstanding level of customer service. From that day on she became a loyal customer in my store. That is a perfect example of what positive result came come out of providing good customer service. It is very important for business organizations to provide god customer service. Failure to make customer service a top priority can really be bad for business.