One area where customer service seems to be being replaced by
self-service is at the gas station.  Instead of filling your car and
paying inside (where you could buy some goodies,) you now pay at the
pump and drive away.  I remember telling my wife a couple of years ago,
“I don’t know how they’re going to make money now.  They don’t make
money on gas, but on the food, etc., they sell.”  Well, today I read
where gas stations are lamenting that nobody is coming inside any more,
and they are struggling to make ends meet.  Duh!!

If customer service is dead in their industry, they killed it!

Another area where customer service is being replaced by self
service is retail.  From grocery stores to the big box stores self
service checkout is becoming the norm.  And many of those retailers
choose to stock their shelves at night, which means that no matter how
badly you need some help, you’re not going to find anyone to answer
your question.  Of these, my worst experience has come with Home
Depot.  It’s impossible to find anyone who knows anything at any time. 
I have been so soured on the way they do business I refuse to shop
there anymore.  I’d rather go to the dentist than go to Home Depot.

Contrast that with Patagonia Sportswear.  Patagonia has a company
policy to take care of everything, no questions asked.  I read a story
recently (sorry, I looked and looked but couldn’t find it again to add
the link,) about a person who had been walking in a brushy area and
torn the sleeve on their Patagonia jacket.  When they called the
company to ask what the best way to repair it was, they were instructed
to send it in.  The sleeve with the tear in it was replaced, and of
course there was no charge.

No this wasn’t a defect in materials or manufacturing.  This was
abuse (or at the very least, it was a use for which the garment was
never intended.)  This was not the manufacturer’s fault in any way
shape or form.  And yet they took care of it expeditiously and with a
smile.  Next time that person needs a jacket, where do you suppose
they’ll buy it?  Patagonia spent $10 to put a new sleeve on a jacket
(that wasn’t their problem) and bought a customer for life.  And how
many others heard that story?  How many other people have said in their
minds, “Wow!  Next time I get a jacket I’m going to look at
Patagonia.”  That’s probably the best $10 any company ever spent.

How much does it cost you to get a new customer?  Could you get one
for $10?  Would you risk losing one for $10?  You’d be surprised how
many companies do.  Customer service is — without question — the
cheapest way to keep existing customers and attract new ones.  Don’t
underestimate it’s power.

If customer service is dead (and it may be in some industries) that
is a sad state of affairs.  You are in control of your own destiny on
this one.  Look around you at the examples of both good and bad service
and see where you want to be in ten years, then take the appropriate
action.