Would You Like Service With That?
For several years, low unemployment has been the excuse for poor customer service -- anyone who would work was hired. Now that the jobless rate is climbing, doesn't it stand to reason that more qualified and friendly workers would hold service jobs? Not necessarily, says UAB marketing professor Doug Ayers, Ph.D. "The rise in unemployment hasn't had the impact yet of cleansing the herd so to speak. Many of the recent layoffs may still be searching for comparable jobs or receiving unemployment benefits. It might take a year or so for the effect to trickle down. It also may be that until customers vote with their wallets and pocketbooks, companies don't have enough incentive to clear out the bad employees or to spend money on customer service training."
Contact Jennifer Park, Media Relations, 205-934-3888 or [email protected].
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