Calling it a "science" doesn't make it so...



I was reading this article on the Chronicle of Higher Ed recently. The article is about teaching customer service as a science. Please forgive my naiveté but calling something a science does not make it so!

While there are some scientific elements - what is referred to as social science - such as sociology and psychology, trying to make a whole degree program out of customer service is just plain silly. Customer service is common sense. In addition, why is this field completely separate from management studies in general? Shouldn't managers know what good customer service is and practice it?

The article was a it short (news reporting), but the comments were quite interesting (as they usually are). I got a chuckle out of this comment:

Interesting when manners, etiquette, common sense, and decency are items that may be turned into a “degree program.”

ConSc 201 – Anatomy of a Smile.
ConSc 204 – History of “Thank You.”
ConSci 215 – Pricing Strategies for Lost Customers
ConSc 225 – Logic of On-Time Delivery.
ConSc 323 – Mastering the Telephone.
ConSc 341 – The Human Side of Voice Response
ConSci 401 – Anticipation of Consumer Needs
ConSc 410 – Web Design for Efficiency and Detail
ConsSc- 415 – Philos of A Job Well Done
ConSc 499 – Psych of the “Bad Day” Excuse
ConSc 500 – Blame Analysis
ConSc 600-What Mommy and Daddy should have taught Me.

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