Last Updated on August 3, 2025 by Brian Beck
Let’s not sugarcoat it: customer service today is in the toilet.
You’ve felt it. I’ve felt it. We all feel it — because every one of us is a customer at some point during the day. Whether you’re picking up a coffee, calling for tech support, ordering dinner, or checking in for a flight, you’ve likely encountered indifference, robotic scripts, or worse — apathy wrapped in a smile.
It’s not just annoying. It’s cultural. And it needs to stop.
Somewhere along the line, we allowed the humanity of service to get stripped out, replaced with cold efficiency and checkbox interactions. We’ve traded empathy for efficiency, real care for canned lines. But no amount of automation, policy, or flashy branding can hide what we all sense deep down: most companies don’t really care anymore. Not about you, the customer. Not about their own people. Not about building trust.
We Don’t Need More Lip Service — We Need Real Service
Real customer service doesn’t come from a script. It doesn’t start at the “How may I help you today?” and end with “Have a great day.” It comes from a place of empathy — a place of shared human experience.
And here’s the truth: not everyone is meant to be your customer. And that’s okay. But when you do have the right customer — someone who aligns with your values and your mission — you owe them more than a transaction. You owe them the same care you’d extend to yourself. Not just because it’s good business, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Leadership Sets the Tone
If the least senior person in your organization doesn’t embody this spirit of care, it’s not their failure. It’s leadership’s. Because culture trickles down — and when leadership fails to model empathy and authenticity, it creates a void. That void gets filled with indifference, box-checking, and a “that’s not my department” mentality.
True leadership means empowering every associate, at every level, to serve with purpose. It means modeling compassion, backing up promises with action, and holding the standard high — not just for the sake of profits, but because trust is sacred. It’s earned one sincere interaction at a time.
When You Care, People Feel It
Something remarkable happens when customer service becomes more than a line item — when it becomes a culture. Trust is born. Walls come down. Loyalty is earned. And business stops being about survival and starts being about impact.
It’s not complex. It’s just rare.
In a world that’s slowly been desensitized to care, great service stands out like a beacon. And the companies that lead with heart — who serve their team and their customers with true intent — will not only thrive but lead in ways that inspire others to follow.
Let’s raise the bar. Let’s expect more. Let’s be more.
Because if we all know customer service is in the toilet… isn’t it time someone flushed the culture that got us here?