Is customer service a lost art?

There are many days when I am frustrated by the lack of quality, or genuine, customer service from retail America. It seem to be such a simple concept but one that is elusive to most businesses regardless of their efforts to promote customer service through their employees. An instance yesterday brought this to mind today. Yesterday morning I had a scheduled appointment with a utility provider who gave me a window of 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. I scheduled the appointment two weeks in advance in hope that I might be the first one on the schedule. By 10:00 a.m. I have not heard from the company. I called local customer service number which routes me to a call center in Texas. They confirm my appointment but they do not have a way to contact the local office except through an internal messaging system. The representative tells me I should receive a call within 30 minutes. At 10:45 a.m. I am on the phone with the call center again and receive the same instructions. Unfortunately, I had to reschedule the appointment for a later date.
When exceptional customer services does occur we seem shocked and surprised because it is no longer the standard. Two years ago I purchased a HDTV television that was "dead in the box." It never worked. I spent 6 months working through the manufacturer who finally agreed to replace my television provided I could provide the original receipt. Knowing I did not have a clue as to where the receipt might be in my house, I went to the large national retailer where I purchased the television. I knew the date and the amount and I had purchased the television on layaway. Now, this retailer had since discontinued layaway. But the Customer Service manager who greeted me took the time to research my receipt until she found a copy. It took her 20 minutes with the assistance of two other store managers. But she found it. The point is she could have easily have disclaimed my request by telling me there was not any way to retrieve my receipt. The time and effort of this one employee made me an advocate for this retailer.
The bottom line: Customer service may be the single most important aspect of your business plan. Many people are willing to pay a little more for a product or service in order to receive excellent customer care.