Until the early 1800s, when you wanted to get support from the company or store where you had bought something, you had to visit the shop. You had to take the train, ride a horse, or go on foot. This means that until the early 1800s, customer service seemed to happen mostly through one main touchpoint: the shop.

This article is part of the book "A Tiny History of Service Design, " a tiny two-hour read that goes through the historical events that created what Service Design is today.