In the course of our consulting work, we've helped hundreds of companies.  With each new client, we often start by asking one simple question: "What do you want your customers to feel and experience when they are interacting with you?"  Seems easy enough to answer, right?  Perhaps - but here's the catch: We ask people to limit their answer to three words.

- Roy Barnes and Bob Kelleher, Customer Experience for Dummies

Albert Einstein has many famous quotes, but this quote said by the "mad scientist" is one of my favorites since it is applicable in both our personal and professional lives:

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." 

This concept is well, so simple, and should give you pause to consider how exactly it can be applied to your business, specifically your customer service practices.  Generally speaking, here are thoughts and ideas for you to consider and implement...

There are so many articles that cover how to deliver great customer service, how to improve on the overall customer experience, or even what good customer service looks like. Right? Well, here comes another one for you. 

You learn something every day if you pay attention. ~Ray LeBlond

One's perspective on any given subject is an individual response. So for me, I love to learn from many sources and pick and choose what I feel meets my need or my interest. Regarding customer service, learning all we can about delivering a great experience is the responsibility of all service providers. 

When you look for the positive qualities of your challenging customer, you increase your ability to connect with that customer and enjoy your time together.  How you think about your customers influences how you respond to them.  When you begin noticing the positive qualities, your clients will start responding to your differently, because how you act is determined by how you think.

- Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest, Who's Your Gladys?

As we continue to evolve in the ever changing world of technology, my hope is that businesses keep their eye on the customer. There is no question that technology has improved, enhanced, and simplified many processes. But, what I am talking about is customer processes that should always stay manual and personal. 

"Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it."  - Peter Drucker

 You only get out of it what you put into it. So how much effort are you putting into making sure that your customer service and sales practices are top notch? Do you have training and quality assurance measures in place?  If not, you might be losing out on untapped revenue.  Never fear- we have some delicious ideas for your "pudding" so you will know what to do to make sure that you are putting in what it takes to make a difference.  

Having strong customer service and sales skills are your key ingredients in making sure your "pudding" is something your customers continue to want to taste, buy, and talk about.  What 5 ingredients do you need in your "pudding"?  Here they are (click on the image to download it and share as you please- you're welcome!)...