When youre a customer service consultant and coach, its just one of the standard nightmares you have.

Suddenly, every company in the world gets the message and they all start monitoring, measuring and managing their customer service efforts. Even the most hard-bitten street vendors and ballpark peanut hurlers become gentle lambs, nuzzling and comforting us as they never did before.

Then, happily, youre jolted back to reality, as I was today, entering a taxi at the Las Vegas airport. I thought this ride was going to be, at worst, routine. I gave the address to the driver, which is Wynn Road. I assumed it is well known; named after Steve Wynn, whose hotels, past, present and future are sprinkled everywhere in this desert oasis.

I also hinted to the cabbie that the place was near two major intersections. To me, that level of specificity is as good as a global positioning printout, but not to my driver.

He grunted, Im not sure where that is.

Next, he started handing me a Thomas Guide and asked, You wanna look it up?

My golly, Captain Kirk, who am I; Mr. Sulu, your navigator?

I snapped back, Thats not my job!

He snickered, and found a way of fingering through his own guide en route to get us to my destination.

I know that todays companies are trying to offer self-service and claim it is the real thing. They implore us to visit their web sites, to use telephone automation, too, so they dont have to supply real human assistance.

But are cabbies taking a page out of the goliaths playbooks?

It can only give you hope if your career consists of reforming customer-insensitive behavior. As long as nature continues to produce oafs like this one, my living is secure!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman 2006