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Fantastic customer service is a friendly smile, it's a warm greeting, it's a caring attitude, it's aimless small talk, it's genuinely going the extra mile, it's truly understanding the other person, it's cheerful enthusiasm*

Fantastic service is what makes customers want to shop with you despite a higher price or the inconvenience of distance. Even if you are providing a lesser quality product or service, fantastic service can help you compensate for it. It gives you an incredible, low cost competitive advantage.

To test whether you are providing poor or fantastic service take an honest look at your business and answer these three basic questions.

1--Are customer greeted in a warm and friendly manner? And are they greeted immediately?

2--Are your people sincerely and enthusiastically focused on customers and their needs?

3--Is *Thanks You* a phrase that is used at the end of every transaction?

While poor customer service may not kill a business, it will hinder your efforts to grow your business. Many managers have no clue that they are providing poor service. Answering the above questions will give you a clue as to where your service stands.

To improve your customer's experience, start by changing yourself. Change your attitude when handling customer issues. Be friendly and liberal versus stern when implementing policy. This may require you to convince yourself that you can afford great service. Do the math and discover that it will cost you less to take care of that customer now and build a life long patron. Set the example by regularly chatting with customers and enthusiastically pitching in to solve hard problems.

Next challenge your people by asking them to step up their game. Catch them providing great service and provide some simple verbal recognition. Constantly bring up and talk about how important it is to set yourself apart with great service. Create a bulletin board in your employee only area, and post positive comments from customers - if a customer verbally tells you something great, type it up and post it on the board. For employees that just don*t get it try to understand why and help them with some training, coaching and counseling.

You should now be on your way to providing fantastic service and increasing your sales. Starting with your next customer start building that essential service foundation today.

Copyright 2004 - Darryl Gee