Wednesday Real Talk
Customer Service Has Changed—But Our Need to Feel Human Hasn’t

I was sitting here this morning thinking about how much customer service has changed over the years.

There was a time when the idea was simple: give people good service and a good experience so they would want to come back. And hopefully, they would tell somebody else about you.

That relationship meant something.

Now, let me stop myself before somebody says, “Here she goes, talking about the good old days.” 🤣

Everything wasn’t perfect back then, either. But I do remember being taught that taking care of the customer was how you built your business.

These days, I sometimes wonder how much room we are leaving for the actual person.

How many calls can you answer?
How many sales can you make?
How many patients can you get scheduled?

And how quickly can you move on to the next one?

Oh, and while you’re doing all of that, make sure everybody has a wonderful experience.

Preferably in five minutes or less. 👀

I understand that businesses have bills to pay. I understand that healthcare teams have schedules, full waiting rooms, and more people needing help. I work in healthcare. I see how hard people work to keep things moving.

But I also hear the person on the other end of the phone.

Yesterday, I spoke with an older gentleman who was trying to confirm appointment information for his wife.

Our call took about eight minutes. We went over the information several times. I gave him time to write it down, and he read it back to me.

He thanked me for my patience.

I didn’t want him to feel rushed and get confused. I wanted him to hang up knowing where they needed to be and when.

That mattered to me.

If we only looked at how long the call took, would we recognize what those minutes accomplished?

That is where my mind went this morning.

Technology has given us some useful tools. I appreciate being able to look something up, send a message, or check information without having to make a phone call every single time.

But I have also experienced being a patient, looking at medical information in an app and still needing somebody to explain what it means for me.

The information is there.

My understanding may still be catching up.

And reaching a live person can become another task on an already long list.

Sometimes I need a conversation. I need to ask a question, hear the answer, and make sure we understand each other before moving on.

I don’t believe I’m the only one.

I also started thinking about the differences between generations. Some of us were taught to pick up the phone, introduce ourselves, explain the situation, and work through it together. Others have grown up texting, using apps, and expecting a quick response.

We have practiced different ways of communicating.

That doesn’t mean younger people don’t care. I work with younger people who care deeply. It does help me understand why our expectations can be so different.

And honestly, all of us are trying to function in a world that keeps asking for more.

More production. More availability. Faster answers.

At some point, we have to ask how that pace is affecting the experience we say we want people to have.

I don’t know why it took me until this morning to put these thoughts together. Maybe I’ve been feeling the change for a long time, and today I finally found the words.

I still believe there is value in taking a moment to acknowledge somebody.

Let them finish their sentence. Give them time to write something down. Explain it another way if they didn’t understand the first time.

Those moments count, too.

Customer service will continue to change with the times. But the person calling still wants to feel heard, respected, and confident that somebody is helping them.

When was the last time someone took an extra few minutes with you—and what difference did it make?

Real Talk with Lady Flava
Flava in Her Tower 🌻