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Being able to pay for Starbucks from my iPhone and view my bank accounts from my banking app, have raised my overall service expectations. It's no wonder then that I get annoyed when companies aren't delivering on my own personal expectations. Just this week alone, I've been annoyed on three separate occasions by some organizations' lack of communication and service.

For instance, my husband and I moved into our house about a year ago and still have yet to figure out when the city conducts specific pick-ups like leaves and lawn waste. There's no schedule on the city's website, when I call customer service, the woman tells me that there's no way of telling when public works will come, and the neighbors who have lived there for years haven't a clue. It would have been so nice when we moved in a year ago to receive an email or letter from the city with all the schedules for the year, as well as other informational dates, phone numbers, and contacts. Instead, our soggy lawn bags sat out front for two weeks, ripped apart by the constant April rain.

Next, I ordered two hydrangea plants about three weeks ago from Burpee.com. I noticed an email in my inbox a week ago, alerting me that they were out of stock. Yesterday, when it dawned on me that I still hadn't received the plants or any additional updates, I called customer service. The agent told me that they canceled my order. "Why?" I ask. She said because they weren't in stock. "Why didn't someone call to ask if I wanted to order different plants?" She didn't know and instead asked if I wanted to place a new order for the hydrangea. "At this point, I don't think so," I replied.

Finally, I've had an inquiry with my mortgage company since February. My husband and I initially paid too much into our escrow and are due an overage check. Every time I call, the agents tell me that the inquiry has been extended another seven to 10 business days. Why can't someone call and inform us of the extension and status? Especially when it's our money.

These examples show that it's not always about having the latest app or social strategy. Oftentimes meeting customer expectations comes down to good old-fashioned communication. These organizations could have had a loyal customer in me if they just proactively reached out. Instead, I will never buy from Burpee again and eventually plan to refinance our mortgage with another bank. And as for now, there's nothing we can do about changing cities.

How are you delivering services that meet consumers' needs and create competitive advantage?