The New American Business Model

To say that the workplace in America has changed would be a tragic understatement. The good old days of companies’ adequately staffing their departments are a thing of the past. Nowadays, the business model is to reduce the workforce and do more with less.

And to make matters worse, this is all happening while the unemployment rate is over 10%. So, while there is an obvious business need for most companies to hire, they refuse to do so. In fact, many companies will look at ways to lay more people off!

A little of over twenty years ago, I decided to hang up my tool belt and go into the field of Information Technology. So, I enrolled in a local technology school, graduated and started in what I thought would be a secure career. After all, computers were the future. There would always be jobs in this field, right? Not quite.

While many construction jobs in this country have been hijacked by illegal immigrants, countless jobs in the technology sector have been outsourced overseas, primarily India. Of course, it’s all done in the name of the almighty dollar. The modern day American business owner has no loyalty to this country. If he can save a few bucks by having a guy named Haji halfway around the world to support his customers, he won’t hesitate to do it.

One of the number one customer complaints, when it comes to customer service, is that they can’t understand the person on the other end of the phone. And how do companies respond to this? They outsource even more jobs to India! In other words, if the customer has a problem with it, they’ll just have to brush up on their foreign language skills.

And the old days of “the customer is always right” is a thing of the past. I’ve seen it all over the place. If that new appliance you just bought doesn’t work, good luck on getting things fixed. In the old days, the retailer would jump through hoops to make things right. Today, you’re lucky if you can even get someone on the phone. And if you’re lucky enough to speak to an actual person, be prepared for a confrontation. It's like the whole country has turned into used car salemen!

Customer service has deteriorated across the board. This is evident even in something as simple as ordering a cheeseburger. Pay attention the next time you order something in a fast food restaurant. The kid behind the counter will usually mumble incoherently while he/she is taking your order. And don’t expect them to smile either. That would be asking way too much! (I have to mention that Chick-Fil-A is the exception in this case. The owner of that company still understands that successful businesses are built on positive customer experiences. For that reason, I'll continue order the number one with a Diet Dr. Pepper).

And what is the end result of all of this?

1. American workers will continue to lose their jobs.
2. Those lucky enough to keep their jobs can expect heavier workloads with no additional pay.
3. Workforce morale will greatly suffer.
4. Quality of manufacturing and service will deteriorate.
5. Customer satisfaction will continue to decline.

I'm not sure when all of this started or what caused us to get to this point. But I'd be willing to bet that greed and corruption played a major part. Sadly, I think we may have sold our future down the river in order to save a few bucks today.

Welcome to the new way of doing business in America……

KW