Opinion: 6 sins of service causing customer apathy, rage

In business, we often obsess over getting five-star reviews. But a dangerous force is gaining momentum: customer indifference. I’ve been researching, writing and speaking about troubling trends of indifference, laziness and incompetence creeping into customer service interactions at all levels for four decades.

For leaders and customer experience professionals, understanding this shift is critical. Here are three key aspects to grasp.

• Rage is escalating. This apathy is amplified by escalating customer rage. The 2025 National Customer Rage Survey found that product and service problems have more than doubled since the 1970s. A staggering 64% of customers with a problem report feeling “rage,” and half have raised their voice in frustration. When negative interactions are this charged, minimizing indifferent experiences is critical.
• The financial impact is severe. The same rage survey calculated a potential $596 billion in at-risk revenue due to poor complaint handling. And nearly 3 out of 4 consumers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences, and over half leave after just one negative interaction. We’ve made no discernable improvement as a service economy in customer loyalty.
• Apathy is the new competitor. Your biggest threat may not be your direct rival but customer apathy. My analysis shows that while fewer customers remain silent today (dropping from around 8 in 10 to less than 6 in 10), the majority still won’t complain about a mediocre experience. They simply move on to a competitor without saying a word, leaving you no clue as to why.

While media reports often highlight extreme cases of customer dissatisfaction or rage, poor service isn’t always the cause. However, when employees are at fault, we’ve identified six common “sins of service” that usually explain why:

1. The robotic interaction. There is an alarming lack of friendly faces. Employees often fail to make eye contact or offer a smile, making transactions feel mechanical. Customers are left feeling like a number rather than a valued patron.
2. Lack of knowledge and poor attitude. Your own recent customer experiences likely include an example(s) of employee indifference or laziness. For instance, I recently visited a popular retail food chain. I purchased two cartons of ice cream and handed the employee a $20 bill. When he returned my receipt, he hesitated. He said, “I don’t remember how much your change is, but it’s right here in my hand; I just forgot the amount.” His unfeeling attitude was annoying. I pointed out to him that the total and the change due were clearly printed on the receipt.
3. Visible irritation. Customers frequently see employees display visible annoyance when asked a simple question. This kills the atmosphere instantly.
4. Missing courtesies. The simple act of saying “please” or “thank you” has been replaced with “You’ll have to call back” or a robotic “Have a good one” instead of saying thank you. Or worse, there’s the employee who says nothing at all after the transaction. Courtesy and politeness are still appreciated qualities today.
5. Failure to apologize. When a problem arises, our empirical findings suggest employees fail to apologize up to 9 out of 10 times in product and service-based businesses. When customers advise an employee that something needs to be corrected, the most common response is, “No problem.” The basic recovery skill of apologizing and offering a clear explanation of the solution is dying.
6. Personal interests over customers. Too many employees prioritize being on their phone or chit-chatting with a co-worker over showing attentiveness to customers. I’ve been left waiting for what seemed like forever at a convenience store counter while employees finished their personal conversations – or finished using their phone first. Employees underprioritizing the customer’s experience can stem from poor training and supervision.

Unfortunately, these six service sins aren’t rare. Our company’s 25,000-plus mystery shops reveal a significant decline in face-to-face and phone customer interactions.

While these trends are concerning, don’t miss the massive opportunity this presents for your business. Excellent service still differentiates brands and drives loyalty, referrals and revenue – you just have to be one of the few businesses willing to deliver it consistently.

Mark Holmes is a consultant, professional speaker and author of “Selling to ELON! Understand, Communicate and Sell to Unique Personality Types,” and he’s president of Springfield-based Consultant Board Inc. and SalesRevenueCoach.com. He can be reached at mark@salesrevenuecoach.com.