A few examples will help prove my point. In the beginning of December, I went into a local clothing store to buy some new jackets, shirts and ties, as has been my practice for almost 30 years now. In the past, I would have been greeted by a sales person who would have pounced on me quicker than a bee making honey. Sales people used to make a habit of remembering what it was I liked to purchase and would quickly take out suggested purchases.

In contrast, when I entered the store this year, I had to search for and struggle to get the attention of one of the two people who were attending to the store. My presence was treated as an inconvenience and there was no effort to assist me or even the slightest curiosity as to what I was doing there in the first place. Needless to say, the store made some money that day, but not as much as they would have in the past, and I am uncertain of whether to continue going there in the future.

Of course, there is the dreaded online purchase. I’ve been experimenting with some new technology for my firm. The eagerness with which sales people will get back to you within seconds of an email or text before a purchase has been made makes the utter inability to communicate with “customer service” after the purchase a telltale sign that once you buy the company's product, you are at best a nuisance. Therefore, I say buyers beware.

Incidentally, speaking of sales people, since when did puffery become so acceptable that it is often synonymous with lying?

I don’t believe my experiences are all that unique. When’s the last time you talked to a friend or colleague who raved about the customer service they received? Somewhere along the way, customer service became a necessary evil rather than a means of helping to build brand loyalty. Part of this trend reflects the digitalization of commerce. After all, it is a lot easier and more cost effective to train a bot to deal with the technically incompetent Luddite customers than it is to train a millennial on what it means to provide customer service that doesn’t involve directing the frustrated consumer to the company’s website.

But I’m afraid that the demise of customer service also reflects a more troubling trend, which I believe is a direct result of the rise of smartphone culture and the aftereffects of the pandemic. First, it has become too easy not to talk to each other. While an email or text is certainly more efficient than a phone call, it is almost impossible to replicate the understanding that comes with interactive personal communication. Furthermore, social media makes it easier to only deal with those people who agree with us and who have similar talents and abilities. This is not exactly conducive to fostering a helpful and welcoming environment.

The demise of customer service also reflects the glorification of the Silicon Valley ethic. We have now taught a generation of students that the way to start a business is to create an app, get as many consumers as possible to download it, and minimize any other expenses that conflict with that obsession. Teaching someone who has already bought your product how to use it is a questionable use of resources.

Here is my operational takeaway, no matter how good your credit union’s apps or bots become or how informative your website is: Avoid the trap of thinking of your customers as inconveniences.

Furthermore, think of fostering an environment within your credit union or business where employees actually talk to each other. For example, if I were king for a day, I would institute a day in which all interactions were conducted by people interacting face-to-face, in-person or at least over the phone. No emails or text messages for customer service or when employees are communicating with each other. This ban would extend to the dreaded Zoom meeting.

We are losing the ability to connect with each other on an emotional level. I’m no marketing expert, but I believe those businesses that break down the technological silos we place between ourselves will be rewarded.