Letters

Readers respond to topics and articles from past issues of Inc. magazine.

What's behind the customer-service debacle in the United States? Inc. readers hold forth on that and knowing when to say no to business at any price, to whiz-bang software, and to an indentured role in a family business. For their observations, read on.

To Serve and Kvetch

In August, letter writer Clint Lougheed asked if other readers had noticed a deterioration in customer service in America. Man, did we get an earful. First, some interpretations of the roots of the customer-service malaise:

Economic conditions have a big impact on the quality of customer service. When I lived in San Francisco, I experienced California's severe recession of the early 1990s. Vendors who gave poor customer service vanished in large numbers, leaving a greater concentration than usual of service-oriented vendors. It was very difficult to find poor service anywhere, one of the few upsides of the recession! Last year my wife and I moved to Denver, where the economy is booming. Here we come across a lot more poor service, regardless of the vendor or the industry.

Joe Zuffoletto Jr.
President
Intersis Development LLP
Englewood, Colo.
joe@intersis.com

Too many people don't understand that though the "boss" signs the check, the customers provide the money so the check won't bounce.

Susan Heider
Owner
LML Inc.
Indianapolis
slheider@aol.com

People who work in customer service and have low self-esteem have decided that they are not worth anything because they 1) are not beautiful, 2) are not rich, and 3) have thankless jobs. Well, no one can compete with airbrushed models, becoming rich typically involves years of extremely hard work, and no job is as glamorous as it appears. So there are millions of people doing jobs they hate, and they become bitter and rude.

Carol Pieper
Hanover, N.H.
carol.m.pieper@dartmouth.edu

While the bulk of mail contained horror stories, we did get some letters recounting episodes of exemplary service. This one stood out:

About six months ago, I noticed that a piece of Eddie Bauer luggage I had purchased a couple of years ago was missing a latch, so I took it to an Eddie Bauer store to see if I could get the latch replaced. I had no receipt, no proof that I had actually purchased it at that store. The woman who ran the store pulled a brand-new bag off the shelf, gave it to me, explained Eddie Bauer's unlimited warranty on its products, and wished me a good day. That experience made a profound impression on me.

Anthony Roberts
President
Intermedia
New York City

And some savvy readers recognized the opportunities that result from offering better service:

I own a small video store and rely on customer service as my competitive edge. Therefore I say hello when my customers walk in the door, thank them for stopping in, call them when the movie they want to see is in. So why am I continually asked why I'm so nice? The answer is simple: I want your business. I want to give you a reason to come to my video store and not the big chain store next door.

John Crowner
President
Video Adventures
Sylvania, Ohio
osubuckize@aol.com

Just Say No

In " The Capacity Trap" (August), columnist Norm Brodsky warned that it's a slippery slope from cutting prices so you can sell unused capacity to filing for bankruptcy. Readers said "amen" to that.

In my retail-footwear business, I, too, believe that selling for less than "regular" prices is often counterproductive. Many of my competitors have gone by the wayside by selling shoes for prices near wholesale. You don't have to be a genius to do business that way; you just don't make money.

A. Lee Brown Jr.
Owner
Shoe Express
Jackson, Tenn.
lee@aeneas.net

Dentists in private practice who contract with managed-care organizations to provide below-cost care are "on the road to bankruptcy." When overhead costs are fixed, a reduction of fees results in a reduction of practice and personal income. Many dentists subscribe to such programs to "get patients in the door," but the more of those patients they see, the more money they lose. They would be dollars ahead if they took that time off or used it to win new patients through community service.