Customer service.  So nice in theory, so poorly executed. Over and over again you hear the stories – companies forsaking their customers in exchange for a nickel here and a dime there.  At some point we have to look at a theory, an institution, and say “It’s not working. It’s time to blow it up.” And customer service has reached that point.  The phrase “customer service” connotes all the misgivings that have led to its demise.  I’m sure you have your favorite visual that represents the great failure that customer service has become.  Mine is the backlogged 800 number routed to an underpaid, under trained and overworked call center rep who is merely given a script which is written in every way to keep money in house and keep frustrated customers quiet.

It’s time to kill customer service.

See customer service gives companies an out. It gives them the right to be passive in the support of their customers. It allows them to be reactive.  Because they have a customer service department and 800 number and online knowledge base they don’t need to “do” anything. They simply wait for the phone to ring and do their best to explain that according to their policy you’re shit out of luck.

This has to change.  We live in a connected world where each device can talk to one another and the mother ship.  We turn over reams of data on product registration information cards, credit card purchases, loan applications and online forms that these companies work to extract out of us at every turn.  And what do they do with that information?  Use it to segment their email lists.

What a waste.

Customer service supports the norm of business today.  Extract as much as we can from the marketplace and customer. Do as little as we need to keep that customer content, or at the very least quiet, and keep the pedal to the metal cranking out widgets.

It’s time to change.

What I propose is a new term. Customer advocacy.  Advocacy is different than service.  It connotes a whole change in posture.  Advocacy is a proactive, “lean forward” posture that puts the interests of the customer ahead of the interest of the company.  It creates a culture and an organization committed not to just the service of the customer but to the success of the customer.  It aligns, for once, the company with the customer. So that the company goals are the shared goals of the customer.  It creates a partnership of mutual benefit.  It is no longer an adversarial relationship filled with mistrust.

We need customer advocacy and we have the tools and ability and resources to do it.

There are a scarce few models out there right now to help us make the switch from the passive/reactive service model to the proactive advocacy model. Zappos is one great example. Amazon, Salesforce.com also come to mind. Zingerman’s Deli sounds like one too. Maybe you have more. The point is we’re poised to provide this customer advocacy as companies in a way that we never were before. We have the technology to connect instantly with customers, we have the data about what they like and don’t like, whether they’re using their device or product or service, and we have built the service teams and taken on the overhead in customer service.

It’s now time to realign those resources and data to drive towards advocacy.  I encourage everyone to read about Zappos and how they advocate for their customers.  Read about Salesforce.com and their Chief Adoption Officer and customer success team.  Because aligning your organization with your customer is a powerful way to grow your business.  These companies killed customer service and replaced it with something much more powerful – customer advocacy.  We owe it to ourselves and our customers to stop being passive receivers and start being powerful customer advocates.