If you can, take your time in developing a solution.  A number of studies have suggested that often, the second or third solution you come up with is best.  When possible, suggest multiple solutions to the customer, saving the one you think will work best for last.

- Roy Barnes and Bob Kelleher, Customer Experience for Dummies

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!

Our "Picks" this time focus on these very important customer service topics:

1. Implementing cohesive customer service standards and policies that EVERY employee learns, practices, and adheres to.
2. Understanding that exceeding customers' expectations requires an approach that focuses on every single customer touchpoint and all factors that engages their senses.
3. Gaining customer loyalty requires not only exceptional care of your happy customers, but also effective efforts that reengage and impress your unhappy customers. (Teaser alert: below this article you can download our wildly popular eBook on problem resolution.)

Keep on reading to get advice on tackling all three of these customer service topics.

To get to a pot of gold with your business, you must take a path that focuses on exceptional customer service.  Service takes form in many different fashions—it's not just about how you treat the customer (although this is a HUGE part of it).  Customer service is also about:

• anticipating the customer's needs and acting upon them before the customer asks. 
• creating solutions that make things easier for the customer. 
• understanding what needs to be done to tailor an experience to the primary factors that influence your customer's takeaway. 

Hungry for more?  Take a quick read of these great articles so you can hit that pot of business gold by learning ways that you and your team can make positive changes to your customer service strategy. 

There seems to be some confusion around the definitions of "customer service" and "customer experience." Many organizations still think they are the same, or perhaps they recognize some of the differences, but do not understand what the overall effect of a great experience does for the customer and for their business. The function of customer service and the customer experience, which will always work congruently, are two very different business strategies.