Customer service

I read a bit today about customer service. Apparently, a survey tells us that 75% of high tech CEOs think that their customer service is "above average." The article goes on to discuss the importance of customer retention and customer loyalty.

And yet...I've seen the wild successes of many industries--large discount stores, large hardware stores, computers, food--that indicate to me that consumers care more about price than quality or service. Price seems to win out in the marketplace over both quality and service. The author points out, in one of three tips toward the article's end, for consumers to "be less price-centric."

It seems to me that CEOs, whether or not they're in touch with their customer service quality, have the right idea. Again and again consumers choose lower prices over quality and service. What we consumers say (in miles of service horror story comments) doesn't match what we do (buy on the cheap).

Not one comment that I read said, "Well, shoot, I guess I got what I paid for. Next time I'll focus more on quality and service over price." Again and again, a poor customer experience is always someone else's fault.