Working Wounded: Clicking for Customer Service

Dec. 6, 2006 — -- I believe that Michael Richards may have changed customer service forever.

For anyone who was lucky enough to be in a coma for the last month, Mr. Richards, a.k.a. Cosmo Kramer from the "Seinfeld" TV show, was performing in an L.A. Comedy Club when he went off on a racial tirade that allowed watchers to actually watch his career come to an end right before their eyes. As the patrons streamed out of the bar he deid a poor man's version of the Energizer bunny -- he just keeps on going and going and…

I'm sure you're wondering what this could possibly have to do with customer service. My answer:Everything. Why? Because it all was captured on video, without Mr. Richards' knowledge, on a cell phone video camera shot by someone in the audience.

Who knew that cell phone videos could provide such a service?

Sure, we've seen them effectively embarrass the Los Angeles police department in yet another roadside beating. But the Richards video was different. It taught us that when we have to deal with rude customer service, the answer is often just a click away on your cell phone.

I'd love to see more people capture rude and annoying customer service abuses on their cell phones just like Mr. Richards' that fateful performance at the Laugh Factory by. Then, in addition to posting them on YouTube, the person shooting should send them to the specific company that keeps such customer non-servers on the payroll.

Sure, there are plenty of wonderful people in customer service. I've met them at hotels, airports and in malls. But I've also met some people who manage to make you feel like a criminal. Heck, some of the people I've experienced through the years knew how to push my buttons better than my parents, and that's really saying something.

The more tirades that we actually capture on video, the better the chance that nasty customer service people will be held accountable for their actions.

In addition to the customer service lowlights, we'd also likely see the end of pompous claims by companies that all is being taken care of.

For example, the owner of the Laugh Factory, who said that Mr. Richards would not be allowed back on stage until he apologized for his rant.This is funny, because he had already allowed Mr. Richards back on stage the evening after his meltdown. It was no until days later, when the video had become public, that the Richards ban went into effect.

I find this ironic, because with patrons streaming out of the club, the club owner had to know there was a problem immediately after the show. Apparently the physical evidence of those people leaving wasn't enough to institute the ban. But video evidence, downloaded around the country on the Web, led the owner to hold Richards accountable.

Who knew that the answer to declining customer service was in our pockets all the time?

So keep those cell phones charged, and when you encounter a situation worthy of recording -- get ready, aim and fire. And then, finally, maybe we'll get the customer service we deserve.

"Profits come from customers, not products." -- Tom Johnson

From: "Working Wounded" by Bob Rosner (Time Warner, 1998)

"Some years ago, my refrigerator did break and I called a refrigerator repairman. He explained that the reason it wasn't getting cold was because the freezer was filled with ice. "It's a frost free refrigerator." The guy looked at me with an expression that reminded me of my Uncle Herm when he was about to impart some old country wisdom. "Son," he said, "there ain't no such thing as a frost-free refrigerator." Then, on an invoice that bore the slogan "America's Best Frost-Free Refrigerator," he wrote out my bill. And that about sums up my thoughts on the workplace: it gives you more frost than you need -- and gives it when you least expect it -- but you depend on it for your supper."