Verizon’s latest message to consumers promises a “new standard” in customer service — AI assistants, 24/7 access, seamless onboarding, and something called “Customer Champions.” Sounds impressive on paper. But internally, most of us know this isn’t transformation. It’s optics.
Let’s be honest: these aren’t innovations. They’re late attempts to meet expectations competitors set years ago. The real problem isn’t the lack of ideas — it’s the inability to operationalize them across a bloated org structure, fractured systems, and burned-out teams.
Offering the CEO’s email address in a mass mailing isn’t transparency — it’s theater. Real accountability means equipping frontline teams, streamlining decision layers, and owning the churn.
You can’t fix customer experience with slogans. Not when the same people who designed the current system are now rebranding it as “new.”
Raise the bar? First, pick it up off the floor.