customer relationship. In that chapter, we saw how the consumer's relationship with the telco was defined by the regulatory environment. We also saw how the customer service organization grew to be the primary department where consumers registered complaints and looked for a company response. The basic model in this kind of environment measures the effectiveness of customer service by: 1. The number of calls processed per hour 2. The number of potential complaints settled with custom- This kind of model, while extremely efficient from the perspective of the cost/performance measurement of the business unit, is actually quite detrimental to the establishment of quality customer relationships. A Model Reflected in All Industries It is not our intention, however, to paint a picture that says the telecommunications industry is, in any way, unique in the handling of its customer service function. The same model is promoted for customer service in other industries. The Retail Store Complaint Department The prototypical image of the retail store and its complaint department comes to mind in this situation, as well. The policy of many retail Chapter 22 organizations to create small, unfriendly office spaces where tough- nosed, demanding customer service representatives attempt to intimidate people in order to avoid refunds is well known. Recent years have seen an aggressive attempt to change this model in many retail environments. The 100-percent-guaranteed return policy with no questions asked is an ever increasing alternative customer service model for many retailers with obvious positive consequences from the customer relationship perspective. The High-Tech Industry Help Desk Some of the most frustrating customer service business models can also be found in the high-tech industry. Here, hardware and software manufacturers create expensive, large, and extremely complex products and services that are distributed to thousands or millions of consumers. These products and services are often much too difficult for people to