A recession is bad, but it's not all bad

Recession - are we, aren't we? Who knows? There is enormous confusion at the moment as to whether we are in a recession, we are heading for one or we survived by the skin of teeth. Whether we are in a recession or not, there is no doubt that the economy is showing signs of slowing. Recessions are rarely thought of as good news, however there are some goods that come out in times of financial hardship.

One of those is customer service. The theory goes that in times of hardship businesses have to fight harder for your custom. If you have less to spend you will think harder about where to spend your money. If everyone else has less to spend businesses are competing for a shrinking pot of money making them work harder perhaps offering discounts but also focusing on customer satisfaction. The businesses that survive recessions are the ones that have a loyal customer base. A base of customers that not only use but recommend a business. Providing excellent customer service and communicating that message is key to survival and even prosperity for businesses.

So if the theory holds you should be noticing an upturn in customer service. In tough times businesses need your support and you can do that simply by rating them on Plebble. This will benefit other consumers too by helping them find businesses based on your recommendations.