Are you frustrated with the way companies treat you? If so, you’re not alone: Surveys find that many consumers are fed up with long waits on the phone, customer service agents who can’t solve their problems, unintelligible billing statements, poorly designed websites, and inexperienced or indifferent sales staff.

In this episode: Why do so many companies see customer service as a costly problem, rather than a way to retain their customers? Why is it so difficult, if not impossible, to resolve issues via phone? Is there anything you can do to get your problems solved after the sale?

Guests:

Jon Picoult, founder of Watermark Consulting and author of “From Impressed to Obsessed.”

Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University, and director of research emeritus at the  American Customer Satisfaction Index.