Could it be that some of our major service providers, such as banks and telecommunications services, are in league with each other to supply equally abysmal levels of customer service?

What other explanation can there be for the fact that when you go to buy a new mobile phone, you are sold to relentlessly, yet when you have a problem with your phone you are made very aware that you are a nuisance. It’s the same with broadband and home phone suppliers – they promise you the earth, but when something goes wrong, they put you through to poorly-trained and demotivated staff who are unable to answer your questions.

I am thrilled with the speed of my broadband supplied by Virgin Media, but when I recently had some problems with the modem I was passed around to seven different people, having to explain my problem in detail to all seven of them, before I was put through (I’m sure not deliberately) to an answering machine.

A few weeks later, when I had another spare hour and had recovered my composure, I dialled the number again. This time, my call was taken by a lovely Welsh lady who took the time to build a rapport with me and then asked me what she could do to help. I explained my situation, and she knew what was wrong immediately. It turned out that she had worked for the company for seven years and knew exactly what she was doing. Two days later the technicians came round and sorted the problem out for me. One happy customer – at last!

So what is the answer? Well, trying to hang on to your experienced staff is one way to ensure consistently great service. Why not ask those experienced people to train their new colleagues up to the same level of knowledge as they have, and then act as their mentors, helping everyone to develop their skills. Chances are, if you give people the opportunity to develop their skills, they’ll stay with you for longer.

I also believe that companies should look at their marketing spend and compare it with their people development budget. There is never a week goes by without I receive a mailshot from Virgin Media, trying to sell me a new or upgraded product, yet nine times out of ten when I speak to one of their staff they are not sufficiently trained to be able to help me.

A friend of mine recently had a problem with her mobile phone from Three. She had to deal with surly staff, who are only interested in you if you want to buy something, at two of their stores, then was told that she would have to wait a week for a replacement phone. The message I get from that story is that staff are being pushed to achieve sales targets, but are, in fact, driving customers away. How many times have you not gone back to a retailer because you were dissatisfied with the customer service?

There is an old saying that it costs four times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing one, but the retail business in the U.K., with a few honourable exceptions like John Lewis, seems to have forgotten that. It seems to me that companies focus on doing business with us only once – and what impact is that likely to have on their bottom line in the long term?