There’s much written and spoken about customer care, customer service, even customer delight.

But what does it all mean? Here are seven tips to help you look at your business and identify where you can "revolutionize" your customer service.

Step 1

Ask yourself “How easy are we to buy from and deal with?” So many businesses don’t even get the basics right: telephones that aren’t answered properly (some not even answered!), sales people not trained in customer service (or even interested!), people and systems that stop customers getting what they want.

We call them ‘Sales Prevention Officers’... they lurk throughout the business … who, what and where are yours?

Step 2

Eliminate your Sales Prevention Officers: No, don’t fire your receptionist! Too often they are the very ones dealing with the consequences of your real Sales Prevention Officers. Investigate and find out what’s preventing your customers from getting what they want. Ask your frontline people, “What causes Sales Prevention Officers in our business? Look in the mirror; too … have you ever refused a call with “tell them I’m not in”?

Step 3

Get feedback from your customers: Ask them “What lets us down?” “How could we improve?” “What irritates or annoys you about us?” “How can we exceed your customer service expectations?” Email them, call them, and visit them. Find out what they really think about you.

Step 4

Act on the feedback! (No explanation needed here!)

Step 5

Identify ways to ‘delight’ your customers: Not “Have a nice day” or “Missing you already” but surprising customers with the level of customer service you provide (in a positive way, please!) Customer Delight has a personal touch, it appears spontaneous, and makes customers feel good. Think about ‘thank you for your order’ notes, ‘Welcome’ signs in reception, send them articles of interest (why not refer them to this one?!), anticipate their needs and solve their problems.

Step 6

Reward customer delight: Encourage your customer service people to ‘go that extra mile’, to generate ‘delight’ ideas and to create ‘raving fans’. What’s the reward in your business for ‘delighting a customer’? What’s the consequence for not?

And finally,

Step 7

Ring up your business and ask for yourself! This can be a real eye opener. It’s sometimes quite scary! In reality it means standing in your own queues, visiting your own website, sitting in your own reception, and listening to your own switchboard. Find out what it’s like to be a customer, and identify areas for customer service improvement.

The pursuit of customer service is a constant process...it never ends. After Step 7 go back to Step 1 and start again!