Elevate with Robert Glazer Weekend Conversations: The Magic of Saying "I've Got This"
Jan 31, 2026
A chaotic appliance delivery sparks a wider look at declining accountability in customer service. They explore call-center breakdowns, lost institutional memory, and how rigid metrics hurt real problem solving. The conversation highlights the power of individual ownership, meaningful follow-up, and the human touch that restores trust.
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Appliance Delivery Nightmare
- Robert Glazer recounts a three-week appliance delivery nightmare with over 20 calls to a big-box retailer's call center.
- Multiple missed delivery windows and no ownership forced him to call the distribution center directly to resolve it.
Metrics Can Reward The Wrong Behavior
- Incentive systems can punish ownership by valuing call volume over problem resolution.
- That creates repeat work and hides the true cost of poor service across functions.
Measure What Actually Matters
- Measure first-call resolution and penalize repeat contacts for the same issue.
- Use lookbacks to align incentives with true customer outcomes, not speed metrics.
