Most brands have stopped listening when the world is shouting

In the last 10 days, I’ve had four very different customer service experiences—some that made me smile, and others that left me scratching my head.

Air India Limited - Air India, of all airlines, pleasantly surprised me. They recognised my patronage, offered me a cabin upgrade, and had the air hostess personally come over to thank me for flying with them frequently. A simple gesture—but a powerful reminder that loyalty, when acknowledged, becomes a story.

Then came the Burberry brand that usually exudes class. I walked into their UB City store in Bangalore, proudly talking about my weight loss journey and how my beloved Burberry belt now needed a size adjustment. The response? “We don’t do that. We will have to get it done externally, and it will cost you ₹350.” Really? That’s exactly what I asked the store manager—“Really?”

Next up, Blinkit They delivered rotten mangoes. I cut open one and found it inedible. I reached customer support and was told I needed to cut open all six to prove the case—if some were good, I’d have to keep them. Really? Out of compulsion, I sliced through the entire lot—5 out of 6 were bad. A refund was promised, but I can’t find it anywhere on the app, and there’s no way to reach a human being—just a chatbot cycling through pre-fed prompts. No closure, just frustration.

Finally, Wildcraft India They placed a full-page ad in a national daily promoting their cargo pants—just what I needed for my next trek. Visited Amazon as directed. Typed in “Wildcraft cargo pants”. What I got instead was every other brand under the sun, with Wildcraft nowhere in sight. Great ad spend. Zero discoverability. 

Four stories.

One pattern.

A great brand isn’t defined by its marketing, logo, or even its product. It’s defined by what happens after the product is sold—or worse, when the customer is still trying to buy it.

Loyalty can’t be bought, but it can certainly be lost—in a chatbot maze, a tone-deaf response, or an over-promised and under-delivered ad.

Still cheering for brands that put experience before excuses.

Thousands agreed (on LinkedIn). But are brands even listening?

But what surprised me more was the overwhelming response — thousands resonated, commented, and shared similar stories.

That post was not just about my experience. It reflected a deeper malaise that’s quietly eroding customer trust and brand equity.

Here are a few insights that emerged:

1. AI ≠ Empathy
Handing over customer interactions to bots without human backup is turning service into a soulless loop. AI can be a great enabler, but when brands use it to cut corners instead of elevating experience, they are unknowingly digging their own grave.

2. The Spiral of Silence
Most customers are quietly enduring poor experiences. Only a few speak up—and even fewer are heard. Until these stories become mainstream conversation, brands will continue to live in their echo chambers, falsely believing all is well.

3. Wasted Data, Missed Loyalty
Zero-party and first-party data offer a goldmine of insights. But many brands are still treating it as CRM fluff instead of a strategic asset. The result? Missed opportunities to convert experiences into trust and transactions into loyalty.

4. Service is the New Marketing
Today, your customer service is your most visible brand campaign. Forget the glossy ads—if your frontline fails, your brand fails. Period.

5. Loyalty is Earned in Moments, Not Months
Consumers don’t remember policies. They remember how you made them feel when things went wrong. Brands that win are those that show up meaningfully in these micro-moments.

6. Silence is Not Neutrality
When brands don’t respond or acknowledge service failures, it’s not just a missed chance—it’s a statement. And customers are listening. Loud and clear.

The scary part? Most brands think they’re doing a great job. The truth is—they’ve stopped listening, even when the world is shouting.

Your customers are talking. Are you listening, or are you automating their pain?

(The author is the founder of Y&A Transformation, and strategic advisor of Channel Factory, a YouTube measurement partner. This piece was originally published on LinkedIn and has been republished with the author's permission.)