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The article features the work of 74-year-old part-time musician Harriet Goldberg as of 2023. Topics discussed include her personal and professional background, her recording of albums comprised of vocal tunes modeled on classics, and her later provision of hold music for the Amazon Connect service. Also noted are the serving of Goldberg's jazzy instrumental "My Time to Fly" to callers put on hold by customer service lines from businesses large and small, and its public appreciation.

The article focuses on the Social Security Administration's customer service challenges, including long wait times, disability application backlog, and overpayments to beneficiaries, which are exacerbated by a decade of congressional budget cuts, leading to a 25-year low in staffing. It mentions the ongoing budget battle in Congress could worsen the situation.

The article focuses on the history of sports journalism at The New York Times, highlighting memorable moments and dedicated reporters who covered events ranging from the 1896 Olympics to breaking barriers for female sports reporters.

The article focuses on how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has increased its full-time staff to nearly 90,000 and improved customer service after receiving additional funding, but still faces challenges amid accusations from Republican lawmakers and uncertainties about its budget and operations.

The article highlights that Allstate, homeowner insurance company in the U.S., has stopped selling new policies for homes and condos in California due to worsening climate conditions, and wildfires, joining other insurers in restricting coverage in areas vulnerable to climate change.

The article reports that the Internal Revenue Service for the U.S. federal government will significantly improve its customer service by hiring 5,000 agents to answer the telephones and respond to questions from taxpayers.

The article reports on the household gadget is misbehaving and you need help, and have a question about travel arrangements or insurance coverage, and the company's website and a digital imp pops up in a small text window.

The article examines the possible reasons why airline companies in the U.S. and around the world like Southwest Airlines cannot provide sufficient customer service to their customers. Also cited are the complaints of long call wait times and rebooking of canceled flights raised by passengers, and the comment of Delta Airlines' Ed Bastain on the issues.

The article reports on the decision of U.S. fast food firm McDonald's to acquire technology companies which specialize in artificial intelligence and machine learning in an aim to improve customer service. Topics discussed include decline in the chain's operational performance due to the rise of healthier alternatives, technology testing at some of its drive-through units to predict customer orders, and the implication for the retail sector.

Reports on the announcement of ATA Airlines that it would reduce the number of cities it served from Indianapolis. Reasons for the decision; Plans of US Airways to close three customer service offices.

Discloses the plans of AT&T Corp. to cut thousands of jobs and close four customer service centers.

Reports on a particular Starbucks coffee house in Manhattan that offers to deliver hot coffee. Limits to the delivery service by the shop at 85th Street and First Avenue; Deliberate playing down of the innovation by the managers and employees of the branch.

Reports on initiatives by brokerage houses to build tight client relationships in the U.S. in 2005. Increased efforts to get clients to trade stocks and make new investments and sign up for financial advice, tax help and retail banking; Projected price war between brokerage houses to lure investors; Implications on stock brokerages.

Focuses on the process of returning items purchased over the Internet. Online retailers that have a policy on online returns; Inconveniences caused by the returns process; Rturn rates of online orders.

Features the Korean restaurant, Chung Moo Ro at Midtown, New York city. Dishes; Price range; Hours; Credit cards; Customer service.

Reports on the efforts of retailers in the United States to reduce the incidents of fraud resulting from merchandise returns or exchange. Return Exchange service implemented by some retailers; Blacklisting of consumers who are frequent merchandise returners; Retail stores maintaining a database to monitor returns; Different deadlines set for returns for goods purchased in the 2004 Christmas shopping season.

Relates the experiences of the author, her husband and her ten-year-old and seven-year-old children at the Hudson Hotel, the artsy and self-consciously hip hotel of Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck in Manhattan, New York. Selection of the hotel because of what was told to her through the phone about child friendly services; Misrepresentation of services; Features and services of the hotel which are not fit for children; Evaluation of service.

Comments on the difficulty of unpacking toys made in China. Chinese manufacturers' use of hard-to-see tape and elaborately folded boxes to package toys in order to protect the product during shipping; Design of packaging that allows for attractive display on a store shelf.

Reveals that Oracle Corp.'s motive in wanting to acquire PeopleSoft Inc. is to find new clients, as Oracle, the leader in corporate database software, will be able to offer its products to the customers of PeopleSoft, which specializes in back-office software that lets companies integrate their finances, inventory and procurement.

Reports on telecommunications company Bell Canada Inc.'s use of Emily, an automated agent that answers customer service calls for the company. Features and capabilities of Emily; Cost-saving benefits of using Emily.

Reports that Orbitz has added a feature in its flight search tools enabling customers to view their seats. Role in allowing customers to see how many and which seats are still available for a particular flight.

Reports on the announcement of Sprint Corp. that it would offer partial refunds to new corporate customers for poor call service. Company's promise to offer refunds if its nationwide network has too many dropped or failed calls.

Reports on the assurance given by AT&T Corp. that they will continue to provide local and long-distance services to its existing customers in the U.S. despite their announcement that they will not actively seek customers and no longer try to persuade customers when they want to cancel their service.

Reports on the plans of Bank of Ireland to give greater priority on customer services during the term of chief executive officer Brian Goggin.

Reports on the plans of Dell Computer Co. to open a customer contact center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Reports on the plans of San Francisco, California-based Providian Financial Corp. to close a San Antonio, Texas customer service site at the end of 2004.

Reports on the effectiveness of New York City Transit’s customer assistance representatives. Role of the volunteer employees to deal with the unruly people in and around the New York subway stations; Focus on the skills of veteran transit worker Dorothy Rivera assigned to the Grand Central station; Strategy used to calm people down.

Discusses the elements for consideration when buying cellular phones. Recognition of the technological advances made by cell phone companies resulting in smaller, lighter and feature filled wireless telecommunication systems; Citation of the importance of the phone's ability to communicate over the unit's extras or entertainment offerings; Suggestion to consider the carrier prior to the model or brand; Need to determine the use of the phone and budget; Option to weight out the advantages of a longer service contract.

Relates the experience of the author flying in a commercial jumbo jet and a private plane. Observation of the cramped space allotted to the passengers and the similarity of the plane's layout to a slaveship; Visualization of the passengers as metaphors of galley slaves chained to their employers through their cell phones, pagers and laptops; Criticism against the food quality, variety and cost; Citation of the completely opposite conditions when flying in private planes; Realization of the temptation of wealth and perks endured by businessmen.

The article discusses changes in the customer service and operations of the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The article discusses lessons that social media company Facebook can learn from the banking industry as it fights fake news. Topics discussed include the application of the concept of "know your customer," practical considerations of this concept, how the vetting of legitimate users would work and an outlook on the future of communication shifting to private, encrypted services.

The article offers information related to the development in technology of the western U.S. and mentions its impact on skiers and riders.

The article reports on the performance of the U.S. economy at the start of 2020 and mentions topics including the steady job creation, the recession in the manufacturing sector and the tight labor market.

Reports on the reopening of Libya to tourists after the elimination of the travel ban. Exploration of the Awhari desert in the southwestern area; Offer of luxury service in five-star hotel; Tourist attractions and destinations.

The article reports on Go-Jek, a startup in Indonesia that offers wide range of services which include ride hailing.

The article discusses evolution and experimentation of showrooms which represents a retail model for bridal designers, car dealers and online apparel start-ups, in an attempt to address the latest trends and demands. It mentions strategies used by brick-and-mortar retail chains to lift sagging sales using cozier spaces to sell very little of anything. It also explores focus of several stores on slashing prices and accelerating delivery times, in order to ensure improved customer services.

The article reports on the aircraft registration service offered by Bank of Utah which helped Russian oligarch Leonid Mikhelson to register his private jet with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Topics discussed include aircraft trust records from offshore law firm Appleby, tax evasion associated with aircraft trust arrangement, and connections of Mikhelson to U.S. and company subject to sanctions.

The article reports on the unfair and deceptive practices of Wells Fargo & Company, an American international banking and financial services holding company, as well as failing to manage risks has been critized by federal regulator the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. According to Catherine Pulley, a Wells Fargo spokeswoman, that they are working to improve their customer care services in response to the issue.

The article reports on the reorganization and reshaping of Best Buy Co. Inc. retail stores to thrive in the electronic commerce era with happy workers and satisfied customers picking Microsoft and Apple gadgets.

The article reports on the help also needed by medical practitioners in saving their patients at nursing homes and hospitals as Hurricane Harvey wreck havoc across Houston, Texas on August 25, 2017. Topics discussed include the devastation caused by the hurricane to the hospitals and nursing homes of the state, the rescue operations for the flood victims, and the question as to the readiness of the health institutions in countering such problems.

The article focuses on the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) 10 o'çlock news' custom of showing the Match of the Day telecasted on Saturday. It discusses how a part of the audience do not keep a track of the basketball match scores and thus, tune in to the telecast as per news' editor Paul Royall, and how it still is popular even with internet streaming and social media.

The article looks at various jobs being created by fast-casual restaurants to offer help and a more social, interactive experience to customers, such as employees entertaining customers while they wait in line or explaining menu items to them. Restaurants cited include Breads Bakery in New York City, Gjusta in Venice, California, and the chain restaurant Sweetgreen.

The article reports on retail company Wal-mart's experiment of paying its workers more, training them better and offering better opportunities for advancement. Topics discussed include definition of efficiency wages, increase in the proportion of Wal-mart stores hitting their targeted customer-service ratings by early 2016 due to the experiment, and actions taken by Chief Executive Doug McMillon to improve the company's financial performance.

The article presents information on the lack of technology support for customers of cable and mobile companies, the impact of company procedures on the service provided by tech support agents, and excellent tech support provided by firms that include GoDaddy, Amazon Prime, and Apple.

The article offers tips on using social media to enable faster service from airlines including the use of Twitter to get fast response, the use of private messaging, and to increase social media presence.