The History Of Customer Service
Customer service as we know it today has taken over 2 centuries to evolve. Merchants, tradesmen even the local butcher and Hatmakers had begun to realize the importance of creating mediums for their customers to contact and engage with them. This was because the Industrial age came and made mass production possible, leading to an even greater customer base who any forward-thinking business can’t afford to ignore.
If you ever find yourself wondering how it all started – Below is a timeline of the history of customer service, from before the mobile apps were developed, before the internet or even the telephone were invented.
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Kelechi Okeke, a certified Customer Experience Specialist (CXS) with over a decade of experience, seamlessly combines customer-centric expertise with accomplished SEO strategies. He empowers organizations by delivering invaluable insights and innovative solutions. Connect with him on Linkedin or schedule a consulting session here.
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A very good post n info on customer service.
Thank you Hitesh! I’m happy you enjoyed the article
It’s always neat to learn the origins of things, thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Audrey! I’m happy you enjoyed it
I love the fact that you put in lot of effort when penning your articles. This is very educative
Thank you Marian. I’m happy you find the article educative
Wonderful and informative article! Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome Nicole, I’m glad you found it informative
What a coincidence! I maintain that all said and done for customer service there is more said than done. So much has been written and discussed for over four decades by great thought leaders both in business and in academia I wonder why great breakthrough ideas fade away after making an initial impact. It occurred to me to re-read close to one hundred customer service related books in my personal library and try to figure out why after all the wonderful work done quality customer service is still in short supply. The idea has yet to take a concrete form and it is indeed a daunting task.
It is in this context that I am happy to see ‘The History of Customer Service’ dealing with the communication part which is truly the bedrock of good customer service.
Great post indeed!
Gopal Gureja
Thank you Gopal!
Great communication enhances customer satisfaction. I’m glad you found this post informative
This has been very informative and educational! Thank you for posting! I thought I understood the reasoning behind Coustomer service experience.
Now I completely understand the importance of it….
With the beginnings of coustomer service in the 1800’s, it was a strick face to face interactions, then the invention of the phones lessend that need; thus opening up the need for call/contact centers.
Then, moving along to 1996 – early 2000, communications via email, Coustomer support software and social meida created the self service support modules.
What sticks out solid to me is in 1989 call centers were outsourced and in just 10+ yrars in late 2000 Outsourcing became unpopular mainly due to the personal disconnect, and not meeting service needs.
— With the creation of self service portals this has created a huge interaction gap. When a consumer opts out of utilizing a self service toolkit, and chooses to call they expect their needs to be met in additon to the experience of their interaction to be fulfilling. — Just as it was in the 1800’s, where the consumers felt valued and understood.
This is a game changer!
You’re welcome Jennifer, I’m glad you find it insightful 🙂
Telephones, computers and the internet are changing the world very quickly (and in interesting ways). Customer service is here to stay and will continue evolving to match the needs of consumers in a fast changing world.
Thank you, very interesting article
You’re welcome Ilanit. Im glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for this great article that I’m gonna share at once with my teams and colleagues. I even think about placing it on the wall at the entrance of our call center. Thx again!
You are most welcome Jerome!