Good customer service depends on who you ask.

“It all starts with a phone call,” said Tom Brager, who owns Brown’s Shoe Fit Company. “Being friendly. Greet them at the door and ask how they’re doing. Finding out what they want and need, instead of them just being another number. We try to care.”

Carol Miekens has had her fair share of bad experiences with customer service. She said she’s had rude waiters, pushy car dealers and been at a loss to find help when she needed something in a store.

“I don’t expect someone to follow me around, but when I need help it’s nice to know it’s there,” she said.

Not everyone has the same definition of customer service, though. Limited person-to-person contact upsets many people, but some businesses are turning to the method to increase customer satisfaction.

When Missouri American Water did away with its St. Joseph office, many customers were unhappy but company officials said it was for the greater good of the customer.

“There are a lot of benefits,” said Christie Barnhart, spokesperson for the company.

Missouri American now has two centralized offices that handle customer service calls. Area residents speak to someone in Alton, Ill.

“We operate in 23 states and the change was mainly driven by cost issues,” Ms. Barnhart said.

Ms. Barnhart is aware of the pros and the cons to good customer service.

“The biggest concern is that people can’t understand the automated system,” she said. “People are a little fearful. When in doubt, ask for a customer service representative and that gets you one.”

Yet there are people who enjoy not having to speak to a real person on the phone.

“Then there are those that want to talk to somebody,” she said. “It’s pretty split.”

In an effort to provide better customer service, Wal-Mart first piloted self-checkout lanes in 2000. Other businesses have since followed suit.

“The self-checkout process is designed to be a simple, easy-to-use option for our customers,” said Jami Lamontagne, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.

U.S. consumers scanned $137 billion worth of merchandise at self-checkout lanes in 2006, according to research from IHL Group, a retail consulting firm. Consumers spent $300 billion at self-service kiosks.

Ms. Lamontagne said that customers have told Wal-Mart that they choose to use this process for a variety of reasons: shorter lines, maintaining privacy on purchases and the ability to bag their items however they choose.

There’s a generational gap to customer service, too.

Katie Holcomb, 22, views customer service as a polite waitress and speedy food preparation where Margaret Buehler, 72, expects an employee to help with a problem and care about their quality of work.

“Good manners should just be common sense,” Ms. Buehler said.

Being known for a particular style of customer service can set a business apart from others in the industry.

“We’re old fashioned,” Mr. Brager said about Brown’s.

At the local shoe store, customers are still waited on hand and foot, literally. The younger generation is almost uncomfortable with good customer service, he said.

“Sizing your feet — it’s a rarity in the shoe business,” he said.

But Mr. Brager agrees that the decline in acceptable customer service isn’t necessarily about age but about the type of retail stores that have emerged over the years. Good or bad.

“It’s the problem with big box retailers,” Mr. Brager said. “You walk in, get your own product and walk out.”

Customer service has evolved with the changes in society but some say the art is all but dead.

“I love helping people,” said Meghan Riley. The college student works at a local clothing retail store and said that she feels that she and many other staffers have exceptional customer service skills.

“As soon as people walk through the door I try to talk to them and find out what they’re looking for,” she said.

Business reporter Jennifer Hall can be reached

at jennhall@npgco.com.