Clear Communication Is Customer Service

Today I had to call the Department of Veterans Affairs to request a copy of my Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) award letter for tax purposes. It should have been a simple phone call.

Instead, I found myself struggling to understand the customer service representative.

This isn't about nationality, ethnicity, or where someone was born. America has always benefited from people from every corner of the world. It is also not about whether someone has an accent. We all have one.

It is about communication.

When someone calls a government agency, a bank, an insurance company, or any customer service line, they are often dealing with something important. They may be discussing taxes, healthcare, survivor benefits, retirement, disability compensation, or financial issues. A misunderstanding isn't merely frustrating; it can result in delays, incorrect information, missed deadlines, or costly mistakes.

Customer service representatives should be hired based on their ability to communicate clearly with the people they serve. If the overwhelming majority of callers are English-speaking Americans, then those representatives should be able to speak American English clearly enough that the average caller can understand them without repeatedly asking them to repeat themselves.

The burden should not fall on elderly callers, people with hearing loss, or those already under stress to decipher what is being said. Veterans, surviving spouses, and caregivers are already navigating complicated systems. They should not have to fight through a communication barrier before they can even get an answer to a simple question.

This issue extends well beyond the VA. It affects private companies, insurance providers, banks, airlines, utilities, and countless federal agencies. Organizations spend millions trying to improve the customer experience while overlooking one of the most basic elements of good service: being understood.

Technology has made it possible to route calls all over the world, but saving money should never come at the expense of effective communication. If a customer has to ask someone to repeat themselves every other sentence, that is not efficient for either party.

Good customer service starts with listening. It also requires being understood.

Today's call reminded me that clear communication is not a luxury. It is a fundamental part of serving the public well. Whether the job is performed in Texas, Tennessee, Maine, or anywhere else in the United States, customers deserve to communicate with representatives they can understand clearly the first time.

That isn't asking for perfection.

It's asking for good customer service.