Customer service starts with understanding your customer.

In considering your business plan, marketing, and in particular customer service, can be the part that will make or break you business. The definition of customer service, (your customer service definition may be different than mine) is providing not only what your customers need but what they want, even though they may not know it. Let me explain customer service.

I sell eyeglasses for a living. The other day a man came into my shop looking to buy a new pair of glasses. To look at him, he seemed to be a man of limited means. To let you know, in our area there is a rather large population of people on fixed incomes. As a retailer it's important to not take advantage of your customers, not only because they may not return but because it's just not right. Anyway, here he was; blue jeans, baseball cap and kind of a scruffy beard. Not knowing just what he wanted we began talking about his needs and come to find out he was retired from his own business for a few years and now he served on several councils in the area just to keep busy. Money was not a concern to him and he wanted the best quality available.

Don't judge a book by its cover. It's good customer service.

That old saying is true. If I had not tried to find out more about him and what he wanted, he could have easily left my shop with a basic pair of glasses that was a low profit purchase. Instead he bought what he wanted, a top of the line pair that fit his needs and he was very happy. His trust in me grew and I know he will return; possibly sending me more business by referring his friends. My profit was a lot greater and I'm a happy guy.

It doesn't matter what you are selling, the customer service point still holds. Don't prejudge your customers by what they look like. Get to know them by just talking to them. One of the funny things about people is that if you ask them about themselves, most of the time they will tell you more than you want to know. You can pick up all the information you need about them just by asking. I heard this a long time ago and it's really true: Don't give them what they ask for, give them what they want. Most of the time customers don't know what they want; it's your job as a customer service agent to help them find that out. You'll be surprised that most of the time it will be more profitable.

So, what is customer service? You need to answer this question. Write it down, make it part of your business plan and make it part of everyday when you open the door.