I guess it was all the publicity and plethora of articles written about the standard of HMRC’s response to their ‘customers’ that made me think about service standards on a wider level.

Let’s first deal with HMRC. No matter what colour the politics are of the government of the day, spending a lot of money on policing our tax system has never seemed a vogue approach to dealing with taxpayers’ money. So they look for ways of reducing costs and improving efficiency, which generally means getting rid of people and investing in technology.

But does it work and can you simply take it too far? It’s not only HMRC that believes it’s the way forward. Much of the industrial action we are currently seeing across the country at the moment is a result of big firms attempting to replace people with machines. I know it’s got to happen, but have we lost sight of how much value for money can be achieved through the delivery of a quality personal service?

Take the banks as a prime example. They have spent the last decade or more closing as many branches as they can and forcing everyone online. It’s ok for those of us who are reasonably IT literate, but there’s a whole generation out there that struggles with that concept and many more who are not sufficiently well off to afford the equipment and connections they need for even the simplest of tasks.

Smaller firms are a beacon of light

Smaller, local firms remain a beacon of light in the value-for-money argument and long may that continue. They cannot compete at rock-bottom prices and will therefore often be more expensive than their larger competitor – the corner shop vs. supermarket argument. But all these firms, particularly in the service sector, appreciate customer loyalty and most go out of their way to reward it by providing a value-for-money service.

Don’t get me wrong. Technology is great when it works, but it’s a major stress when it doesn’t. And it’s opened the door to a whole new class of fraudster who will steal your identity, let alone your money, by putting technology to the wrong use.

There’s no way this ‘bandwagon’ is going to slow down or reverse direction. That’s probably a good thing in the long run. However, in the shorter-term, let’s not ignore the benefits, or indeed satisfaction, that can be gained from providing a proper service to customers.