1955 Orient Line promotional piece, designed by Australian artist, 
Douglas Annand (1903 - 1976)  From the collection of Björn Larsson
(Click on picture for full size view)
 

“Purser Puckle Pampers Passengers,” proclaimed the Orient Line’s alliterative advertisement, emphasising the superior customer service that the venerable shipping company claimed to offer its passengers. 

Today, almost half a century after the Purser Puckle advertisement first appeared, companies still use customer service to claim superiority over their competitors.

But now, as then, most pay lip service to this vital value, without any real commitment to what it means.

Call the customer service department of a bank, telephone company or other service provider and you are answered by a machine. Then, after pressing a series of buttons in response to frequently irrelevant commands, you eventually arrive at a call centre. Here, the person you speak to has little interest in customer service or knowledge of the product or service that his or her employer is providing.

At SeniorSitters we know how frustrating this can be, so we make the following commitment to our members:

1                 The Customer is Always Right – Even when he or she is not. We know that it is easy to make mistakes – especially when dealing with computers and the Internet. We also recognize the basic honesty of our members, so if a mistake has been made – by you or by us – we undertake to rectify it quickly and courteously

2                 The only time your telephone calls will be answered by a machine is when our lines are busy or for some reason unattended. Nonetheless, we undertake to reply to any message within 24 hours – no matter what!

3              Every query, whether by telephone, post, email, or through our website, will be answered by a senior member of SeniorSitters management. It's simple, we want you to get the right answer – the first time.

After all, our members are our life-blood. And we will not forget it.