What does the custom label printing industry look like for 2024 regarding adoption of ESG within companies, and how will this impact customer service in particular?

Urbanfootprint.com provides a concise, clear description of what ESG is and does: “ESG, or Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria paints a picture of how a company prioritizes the well-being of its employees, customers, community, and the planet. By examining ESG factors, you not only gain insight into a company’s longevity, but also their mission and vision.”

Mired in controversy, ESG is often criticized for “goodwashing,” where a company touts making the right moves for all stakeholders to curry favor with consumers – when in fact it’s just a smokescreen to make more money. ESG also has become a highly politicized, complicated arena mired in reporting and documentation minutia. Many companies are spending fortunes to prove they’re taking care of all stakeholders, in order to satisfy investors, government authorities, and others.

Characteristic of such movements as ESG, B Corp, and Corporate Social Governance – which place the well-being of all stakeholders (not just shareholders) at the top of the list – the essence of what’s behind it too often gets lost in the shuffle.

This isn’t rocket science. Whatever you call it, the idea is to honor, respect, and value the contributions of all stakeholders – most notably employees, customers, and suppliers. It’s treating people the way most of us want to be treated, tapping into their needs, and doing everything reasonably possible to accommodate them.

In the customer service arena specifically, most consumers know instinctively when they’re being well cared for, versus being given a bunch of empty promises about caring, going the extra mile, etc. So whether or not your custom label printer has any formal “social governance” policies, look for the cornerstones of customer caring that speak volumes. Among the many cornerstones out there, here are the basics:

1. Listening then addressing fully. One of the continuing drawbacks of chatbots and other forms of AI is not answering the questions asked or tuning into the intricacies of a specific concern. Instead, the bot spews information that best “matches” the query, which too often is useless. Besides improving the quality and capabilities of AI, which isn’t going away, companies invested in top-notch customer communication always provide a way to contact a live human being by phone. There’s something inherently reassuring about interacting with someone who provides more than pat answers and scripted solutions. Of course, this presumes that the “live human being” is empowered to do more than provide pat answers and scripted solutions. Otherwise, it’s just compounding the lack of true communication.

2. Meeting commitments consistently. This is both a current and historical marker. Obviously, to stay with a custom label printer, it’s reasonable to presume that they’ve met commitments consistently in the past. At the same time, the last few years have brought wave after wave of commitment-disrupting problems from supply chain snafus to workforce inadequacies. If your printer continues to meet commitments as in the past, consider that a big win. If cracks are showing, first determine where and why, then evaluate if it’s time to search for a different printer. For example, when previous high-quality, on-time, on-budget standards are lagging, it’s a red flag. Is this due to circumstances truly beyond the printer’s control (e.g. inability to obtain necessary materials in a timely manner)? Or, could it be part of a cost-cutting, do-more-with-less strategy, where high quality, deadlines, and other customer-centric considerations are being devalued in the name of the almighty dollar?

3. Going the extra mile to assess customer satisfaction. Almost everyone likes to be consulted about each customer experience to determine where expectations were met and what can be improved. However, increasingly ubiquitous AI-driven surveys in the name of establishing benchmarks are not going the extra mile. Instead, every way and every day account representatives, managers, and others charged with walking customers through the printing experience need to proactively reach out personally, not through an app, and have a real conversation. If the customer decides not to engage, instead preferring an AI survey or nothing at all, so be it. But even among a technologically tuned-in consumer base, a friendly outreach to check in can be particularly heartwarming and appreciated at this time of “tech overload.”

4. Gauge employee sentiment. Pay attention to how employees of your custom label printer interact. Look for changes in demeanor or performance. For example, if previously helpful and amicable account representatives suddenly become hostile or slow to respond, this may be an isolated issue – or an indication of workforce-wide management changes. Substantial increases in turnover are another concern. Before jumping to conclusions, however, first attempt to confirm what’s actually occurring as opposed to making uninformed assumptions.

At the end of the day, many of the best assessments of such ESG-friendly practices as excellent customer service can be made by paying attention to time-honored basics – versus a bunch of high-powered, complicated gobbledygook spouted by companies trying to impress investors and shareholders.


Mark Lusky is a marketing communications professional who has worked with Lightning Labels, an all-digital custom label printer in Denver, CO, USA, since 2008. Find Lightning Labels on Facebook for special offers and label printing news.