There is nothing worse for your company's image, brand and business than a dissatisfied customer griping about the bad service they received. And nothing better than great service for building loyalty and keeping your customers coming back. Marketing wisdom has it that every satisfied customer tells one person, and every dissatisfied customer tells ten. It's also a lot less expensive to keep a customer than to go get a new customer.



So why is there so much bad service out there? Simple. It's one thing to know what great service is, it's another thing entirely to consistently wow your customers in the day-to- day frenzy of business. Break it down into these three steps, and you'll be on your way.

This may sound easy, but it is something often foolishly ignored. Successful organizations listen to what customers want, need and like or dislike.

Take Enterprise Rent-A- Car. In 2003, Enterprise began a new approach to customer surveys. They asked two questions after customers completed their car rental transaction: "Were you happy with your experience?" and "Would you rent from Enterprise again?" The brevity of the survey allowed Enterprise to quickly analyze the data and get the results to each of its branches within days. Enterprise continues this strategy today. Every month they survey customers from all of their 6,500 offices. Every single month! The company focuses on what it calls "completely satisfied customers," who are at least three times more likely to return. And they share the survey results with their employees, so each branch can take the steps needed to make the customers completely satisfied. And these customers not only return to Enterprise, they tell their friends about their rental experience.

Enterprise uses a professional survey firm, but there are plenty of other ways to learn what your customers are thinking. Focus groups, on-the-spot surveys you hand out or send to customers, follow up calls to ask your customers what they think. Find a way to listen, and you'll have a road map to what services, products and experiences will bring your customers back for more.

Deliver

Deliver what you promise. Focus your marketing on what you can do for your customers, then make sure you do it. Make sure you have the staff, products, time and resources to deliver on what you say you will do. Every time you meet a customer's expectation, you give them one less reason to try someone else's product or service. Exceed their expectations, and you give them even more reason to come back.

Lands' End, the clothing company, has it down to a science. Its entire operation is centered around delivering service that makes customers want to come back. Their "Guaranteed. Period." policy allows customers to return items at any time, for any reason, for a full refund or a replacement. Every email (200,000 per year) gets a personal response, most within three hours. Real live specialty shoppers are available until midnight every day to answer just about any question on clothes, sizes and how items fit. Their "Lost Mitten Club" allows frustrated parents to buy a single mitten at half the price of a pair - and offers free shipping.

But you don't have to be perfect. Sometimes mistakes give you the chance to really deliver. A friend returned her broken Ipod to the Apple store. No questions asked, they gave her a new one, and upgraded the size. Even though she had a faulty product, is she happy with Apple? You bet.

Crocs, maker of the popular shoes, makes sure their customer's problems get solved. When a customer reported that the strap on his Crocs broke, the company sent the pieces to repair the broken strap at no charge, which you might expect. But then they threw in a gift certificate for a new pair of shoes. Wow!

On the flip side, some companies compound a mistake by not stepping up. We recently brought a trusted vendor to a client. After an outstanding initial meeting that impressed the client, the vendor promised to quickly provide a detailed estimate. In short order, the vendor postponed a scheduled follow up call at the last minute, missed the promised deadline for delivering the estimate and subsequently sent an incomplete estimate. We were unhappy and embarrassed. The client just quietly said, "I don't think they want my business." The vendor apologized and offered to complete the estimate, but it was too little, too late. The experience will stick in our minds - and keep us from calling that vendor in the future.

Communicate

Your relationship with your customers shouldn't end when the sale is made or the project is completed. If you want to keep your customers and encourage them tell their friends about you, stay in touch.

Thanks to technology, communicating gets easier all the time. Whether it's former customers or new ones, a few simple steps you can show customers you care:

1. Send e-mail reminders or postcards of the time and place of their next appointment, your next big sale or a special event

2. Include birthdays or anniversaries in your database so you can send customers a card, gift certificate or discount

3. Ask your customers the best way to contact them (mail, phone, e-mail)

4. Use e-newsletters or blogs to keep customers current on the services you provide and share information that makes you an expert resource

5. Keep track of customer purchases and use sales history to send new offers or to discounts on products they like

6. Use your database to keep track of when a membership, policy or mortgage will end, and then approach your customer about a renewal before they look elsewhere

Now it's your turn. Take a hard look at how well you know your customers and meet their expectations. Investing a little time and money in service can keep your customers coming back for more - and giving your company rave reviews.

Are you listening?