The first step in serving your customers is to serve your customer service employees. Poorly served customer service employees will provide poor customer service. This year make it a priority to get to know your customer service employees better and to serve them more effectively as their leader so they will provide improved customer service.

The next step is to know your customers. That includes internal as well as external customers. Well, who is a customer? The simplest definition is anyone who gets something from you. Now, that may seem too simplistic, but it fits. For example, internally, the folks in shipping may be the customers of the warehouse folks who pull products from the shelves to be shipped to an external customer.

Knowing your customers includes knowing their specific needs, likes and dislikes. For example, a particular customer may prefer deliveries between 9 and 11 a.m. While they may take them in the afternoon, they prefer morning. If your competition can guarantee morning delivery, you could lose the business simply because you didn't understand their likes and dislikes even though they weren't a part of your contract. Knowing your customers may include personal information that allows you to build relationships that will help you over the rough spots when problems arise, as problems will most likely arise over time. In one organization the plant operations personnel visit customers with sales personnel so that when problems arise, relationships have been established that can expedite communications and problem solving.

Common sense customer service principles were drilled into me years ago in the original "C-store"- the Country Store. Miss Dot's Grocery was our family's business from 1961 until it burned in 1975. These principles, while simple, were very clear to all of us and later formed the foundation for my talk "How to Have the Best Customer Service in Your Industry." We had certain customers who bought only two items, corn and sugar. (Yes, some of you remember how these two raw materials were used.) These customers had certain times of day to make their purchases and it wasn't during normal hours. My Dad knew the customers and their needs, so we were available when they needed to make purchases, even if it was late at night.

The Seven Golden Rules of Customer Service from Miss Dot's Grocery are:

1. Availability-be there when your customers need you

2. Behavior-treat your customers like they are important....they are

3. Knowledge-know your customers as well as your products and services

4. Quality-be sure you provide quality as defined by the customer and assess satisfaction

5. Value-provide value for your customers' dollars

6. Guarantee-simply stated, "stand behind what you sell"

7. Appreciate-let customers know they are appreciated, say "thanks"