I called for housekeeping to make up the room while I was out.
When I returned the room was tidy. I was a satisfied customer. So I sat in a chair and began reading.
Then the phone rang. It was the housekeeping supervisor. She called to ask if my room had been made up. “Yes!” I was a satisfied customer.
About twenty minutes later, the phone rang again. It was someone from “customer service” who called to ask if my room had been made up. “Uh, yes.” I was a bit puzzled.
And then, five minutes after that, the housekeeping supervisor called again to ask if my room had been made up. “Yeah, but you already called me.” I was now inconvenienced.
Obviously, there’s balance to be had. Some customer service is expected. Other customer service delights. Some, which is probably not really customer service at all but, rather, is following a checklist to absurdity, is actually an inconvenience.
A few years ago, I had outpatient surgery. No one from the facility called before or afterwards. I am still puzzled.
