Yes, we are focusing on customer service again.  The Sam Walton quote is the eye opener that we all need in order to understand just how important it is to be masters of customer service.  Your customers hold the key to unlocking your business success, so if you are not treating them right and giving them what they need, your business will be locked down and shut down.  Now, we don't want this to happen, so take a moment to learn the 3 tips and 5 secrets relating to customer service.  All 8 are not rocket science concepts and don't require moving mountains in order to implement.  Just takes some understanding, implementation, and consistency.  The value will be felt—we can promise you that!

Service, service, service.  It's the nuts and bolts of our business and at least a key driver of your business.  The many articles and training materials we provide mostly focus on customer service because we are passionate about your ability to achieve success through strong service skills. You can't get too many tips, suggestions, or ideas for best practices on this super important topic, but if you ignore them, it may cost you and your business a lot of money.  For our picks this time, we are shaking it up a bit—you will not only get some fresh thoughts on mastering customer service and how to develop better customer relationships, but you will also learn how to navigate through your negative attitude when it shows it's ugly head.  Your negativity can be converted into a productive return, which most definitely impacts your customers' impressions.  So away we go...enjoy!

A top executive in a public relations firm has a favorite saying for clients who are at a loss about what to reveal: "When all else fails, try the truth."  In business, as in life, telling the truth—no matter the short-term consequences—is far more beneficial than getting caught in a deception.  People are generally forgiving, almost to a fault.  But deceive them and they will remember it for a long, long time.  "Try the truth" applies to everyone in the workplace: the boss, the manager, the new employee, the client, the contractor.

- Emily Post's The Etiquette Advantage in Business

Mistakes are to be expected in service situations, but knowing how to recover an angry or frustrated customer into a loyal customer is a learned art. A Customer-Focused Attitude is critical for successful service recovery.  Employees need to be trained to anticipate and identify potential problems, as well as have the experience to make decisions and to deliver skillful solutions to customer problems. The statistics below show just how important company reactions are to service loyalty.