In conversations I've had with thousands of Americans across the country about customer service, there is a simple yet powerful theme that runs through each dialogue. Customer Service in America stinks. The most content of American consumers can count the number of businesses that constantly wow them with exemplary customer service, on their right hand. The rest of us (consumers) are beaten down by the daily habits of service people ignoring us, doing the bare minimum, and wasting valuable hours of our time. So many people are tempted to scream, just like in the movie "Network", "I'm mad as H--- and I'm not going to take it any more." But we don't scream. On average we don't even complain, not even a little. In fact, some of us lie. When we receive poor service and are asked how everything is, we routinely say "good" or "fine". This silence of ours could cost our country hundreds of thousands of jobs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in trade. It could position America as a less attractive partner in the International marketplace. This silence is not deafening but it appears to be falling on deaf ears.

The silence we keep is the only power we as consumers have over the deaf masses of service providers. We think powerfully and quietly to ourselves each time we receive poor service. We will no longer waste our breaths educating incompetent, un-thoughtful service providers. We would rather search elsewhere, giving other providers their one shot at our business. The silence is broken of course the first second we find a family member or friend to commiserate with about how awful customer service is. An average consumer tells about 5 -- 6 other people and they in turn tell 5 -- 6 others and so on. Statistics show that the end number of people who hear about one negative customer service experience totals 67 people. Although deaf, the providers of service are not blind and they slowly see their customers disappear one by one and they are left in surprise because they thought everything was "fine".

Like everyone else I too am angry about poor service. But I am equally angry when my friends are unemployed, because American businesses have to downsize, or close their doors to move to another country. I get angry when I walk into a fairly new mall and many of the stores are boarded up or hoisting "Must GO" signs. I am angry when I see one great salesperson trying to make up for the rest of the apathetic drone colleagues she is forced to associate with each day. I am even angrier with managers who allow this to happen. I get angry with my fellow Americans at their low expectations for service and their high tolerance for average or less. I get angry with them for not speaking up and not protecting American businesses from themselves. I want them to break the silence and speak the truth, even complain, before it's too late.

American optimism is not a blessing here. The economy is great. Therefore, busy consumers experiencing a happy existence could easily dismiss the depth and serious nature of the problem. I ask my fellow Americans to place their optimism in themselves instead of simply in the bounding economy. I ask them to believe in themselves; believe that their simple comments concerning service could make a huge impact.

Statistically a few out spoken individuals complain constantly. Others complain when they've simply "had enough". My unique challenge, and the piece that separates my work from others is simple yet challenging. I want to help consumers complain to the customer service representative the FIRST time service is less than exemplary. My goal is for us as consumers to view complaining as the kindest thing we can do for our Country and the businesses that support it. Barlow and Moller's book, A Complaint is a Gift, helps business people view complaints more positively. But the work stops short. It doesn't factor the key ingredient that I address -- consumer behavior. If successful in my campaign, I will have helped businesses find unique ways to motivate their individual types of customers. I would encourage consumers to "Take Charge" of the success of businesses in their own community and throughout the country as well

Let's pretend for a minute that complaining becomes a way of life. Let's also pretend that business people utilize complaints to provide the kind of service that insures their place in the marketplace. What are the possibilities for American businesses? My mind is racing with amazing scenarios like my friends and I being escorted through a huge mall in a carriage that turns into a dressing room. This carriage allows us to swipe our cards, keep our items and never wait in line. The additional chilled champagne and attractive driver, are all a part of creating an experience that few shopping fans could turn their backs on. It's really time for all of us to tell businesses what out customer service dreams are, and expect them to step up to the plate.

The answer to this question is the scariest of all. Imagine that it is ten years from now. Suppose for a moment that the economy has drastically changed for the worse. If we don't complain now, if we don't change now, many of our neighbors will be out of work and many of our neighborhoods will be out of existence. Our virtual malls, paying taxes to cyber-heaven, will no longer help support our schools, our libraries, our senior citizen housing or worst, our parks, our streets and our police and fire officials. Many of us will be reporting to foreign CEO's we've never seen, from our home offices, using great Asian products. The stamp "Made in America" will be a sign that we have purchased low-cost, low -quality products that will soon be obsolete. There will still be the Bill Gates, Merv Griffins and Donald Trump-like Americans making millions with cutting edge ideas. But the rigid small business owner or shopping mall clerk with a hourly mentality will miss the day that businesses supported welfare programs, because that is the long, poorly funded line they will be in.

Suppose instead that the economy is great ten years from now. It is the year 2010 and our lives are going along as planned. Don't we still deserve better service than we receive now? Don't we deserve to be wowed no matter how good the economic conditions are? Won't we still want powerful positive experiences when we act as consumers? Maybe the worse case scenario is that nothing will change. Maybe we'll still get ignored, put on hold, or treated with disrespect. I'm not willing to wait and take the chance that nothing will change and I hope you aren't either.

We could complain. We could encourage our friends and families to complain. We could tell businesses exactly what we want from them. We could explain to them how we want to be treated by their employees at all levels. We could tell them that if they don't change that we will no longer support them. We could rally around great businesses. We as consumers could put local businesses on probation until they shape up. We could take responsibility for helping American businesses stay in business. The shocking truth is that we are American businesses. We are the people providing poor service. We are the people who are ignoring and losing customers. We are Americans and we should help ourselves before it is too late.