Could I be replaced by a machine?

So my parents are all moved into their new apartment at an assisted living facility in Hendersonville, NC. Jody and the kids and I came up to spend some time with them and my siblings, brother-in-law and nieces.

Beyond all the emotional challenges that this move has presented to my folks, there are also some very practical challenges of moving from a large, 2 story home into a more manageable 3 bedroom apartment ... the biggest of which is storage.

My brother David and I decided to take advantage of my being there by installing some shelving in their closets to help them maximize the space. So, off we went to the local Lowes to pick up supplies where we experienced what my business partner, Bob Burg, and I have termed "Anti-Wow' customer service.

First, though we were passed by MANY Lowes employees as we combed the aisles in search of the shelving units, not a single one even acknowledged our presence, let alone asked us if we were finding everything we needed.

Then, when we did find the particular set of modular shelving units that we were seeking, they were out of stock on the shelves we could reach (certainly not their fault), but fortunately, there were more boxes of them available on the top shelf of the  warehouse-like aisle. Immediately, I attempted to flag down an employee who could help us locate the person who could retrieve the product we needed only to be literally waived off as if I were attempting to hail a cab in front of Carnegie Hall after a show. This rather odd customer service technique was displayed by not just one, but two employees who, by all indications, were on duty and fully capable of speech (though perhaps not rational thought).

Okay, so I'm certainly not going to let a little customer service glitch foil my efforts to help my parents out. Next step ... I'm off to the Customer Service desk where, after over a minute of waiting with no one else in line, the customer service representative was nice enough to break off her conversation with a fellow employee about the concoctions they drank at their 4th of July party, so I could ask her to please send someone to our aisle to retrieve the boxes from the top shelf. She immediately hopped on the PA system to send the message. So, I returned to the aisle to wait ... and wait .... and wait ... for OVER 20 minutes - with still no sign of anyone who was going to help us and with employees passing us by right and left.

If I were there alone, I would have driven to the Home Depot 2 blocks away after only about 10 minutes of waiting. However, I did have my older brother there so we were able to take advantage of the time and catch up on the happenings in each others' lives (though both of us would probably have preferred the conversation over a glass of wine back home or a Cider and darts at a local watering hole.)

But alas, here we are still waiting and wondering if anyone even heard the announcement that the customer service representative had made. Back again I went to the customer service counter as I asked her once again to help me. Put out, our once-friendly representative reminded me that she had already honored my request once before. But, since I was still without the product I was so desperately attempting to purchase, she reluctantly agreed to issue the dictum one more time.

9 minutes and 22 seconds later (I'm now very conscious of the time), an employee comes to retrieve the boxes from the top shelf (which took him 37 seconds total).

Ahhhh, now it's off to the checkout where we are faced with the decision of going to a checkout line with a real live cashier and only one person in line before us, or go to the self-checkout station where there are 2 people at each of the 4 machines. You guessed it - we went for the machine. It was quicker and in my imagination (based on my experience there that day) probably friendlier as well. 

My point? Well, it comes down to the value-added benefit of service. Those employees at that particular Lowes store added virtually nothing to the sales experience and when they did actually perform their job, it was with great reluctance and poor attitude. Rather than be driven to deliver such a high level of customer service that they could not possibly be replaced by a machine, they seemed almost hell-bent on hastening the process of their demise.

After experiencing the let down of their real customer service that day, I opted to checkout with a machine. And, you'd better believe that if I heard of a store that had mechanically rotating shelves so that I could move the top shelf down myself, I'd be bringing my business there... bing, bang, boom - I'm empowered and former employees are looking for work (and likely blaming the big "heartless corporations" for putting profits above people).

However, don't take this as a rant against certain parts of the retail sector. Frankly, there are some companies as a whole and individual employees that are so good at delivering service which does in fact add value, that I wouldn't consider going to their competitor - even for a lower price.

So the question we all need to pose ourselves is this ... Are there any areas of our customer service where we are resting on our laurels ... that we take advantage of the competitive benefits of our primary service or our products and are falling short on cultivating relationships where people LIKE doing business with us?

If you sell nutritional supplements, could the customer just as easily buy them through the company directly and not miss a thing with you removed from the equation? If you're a CPA, could a hot new computer program with super new fuzzy logic (like a "Quicken on steroids") make you look replace-able? For me, if someone developed a fuzzy logic marketing plan builder that reveals hidden assets and provides a plan to maximize them, is there anything I bring to the table above and beyond the pure and simple intellectual output that would compel someone to do business with me? Could I be replaced by a machine?

Food for thought .... 

All the Best,

Thom