Here’s a perfect example of why companies should hire smart people who care.

Recently an AT&T customer was talking with their customer service service department. He started having symptoms of a heart attack and eventually passed out during the call. Rather than hang up (because the customer became non-responsive) the AT&T employee (Kelly Hart) knew something was wrong so she called 911.

One of the best ways to keep customers coming back more often is by living the old Boy Scout motto:

Be Prepared

Be prepared to take care of them better than anyone else can or will take care of them. If every customer you work with is impressed at how knowledgeable you are, they’ll tell others. If you are able to help them get what they want every time without fail and without hesitation, they’ll come back.

Often my conversations with people make me think we’re facing a growing technology divide. One group of my friends and colleagues are actively online and, for the most part, use social media like Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn. But others stare at me like I’m speaking in tongues when I talk about using these social media tools to connect with their customers.

That’s why I love Chris Brogan’s recent post about a small comic shop in Amesbury, MA that uses Twitter very effectively. As Chris points out:

Recently we reported on the president of Brazil’s decree that companies operating in his country will meet certain standards in how they deal with customers. While I’m not a fan of increasing government regulation I like the idea of making customer service standards a big deal.

That’s what Tata Indicom has done. Even better, they’re telling their customers about it.

They have made five specific promises to their customers in these areas of service:

About two-thirds of the times we write about a specific company, we get a comment or some sort of feedback from the company. Sometimes it’s an employee defending them. Sometimes it’s a PR person offering to help. Once in awhile it’s the CEO.

No matter who responds, I’m always impressed. Because it means they’re listening and they care. They care enough to speak up and get involved.

If you want to deliver good great Amazing customer service, the first thing you need to know is what your customers want. Customer service is all about giving your customers the experience they want, in a way that’s sustainable for your organization.

This sounds simple enough but it’s not as common as it should be. One reason is because it’s not always been easy to learn what our customers want. It’s hard enough just managing a business without having to add the burden of trying to get our customers to give us more information.

When talking with business owners and managers, the topic of cash incentives arises every now and then.  Some managers feel they’re the best way to get employees to deliver better customer service. Others disagree. But the question remains.

A recent article in Entrepreneur.com suggests money is not always the best way to motivate employees to better performance.

“…research shows it only works in the short term and other things keep employees happy and productive over the long run.”

Three Florida legislators have proposed a bill that would require restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus. While I know there are heated arguments on both sides of this issue, I like the idea.

In the last 24 hours, the ‘net has been abuzz with Google’s admission that their SEO is not as good as it could be.  Some see this as a sign that Google “ain’t all that”. Others see it as a reason to question the value of SEO. Regardless of what you make of Google’s SEO revelation, I see some lessons here for all of us.

1. Openness and honesty are cool. (And they make a difference.)

Here’s a web resource that has useful customer service information, and a whole lot more. Actually it has over 6,000 articles and other resources for small businesses.

It’s called WBSOnline.com and it’s a free service of Winmark Business Solutions. Winmark is a Minnesota company that offers franchise, leasing and other services to their small business clients. They’ve been doing it for many years and they’ve developed a solid reputation.

As we left the Cracker Barrel that night, I asked my wife how she would rate our customer experience as we paid for our meal. “Two thumbs down” she replied in microseconds. We were on the same page. It was a horrible experience.

While the food and overall experience in Cracker Barrels are frighteningly consistent, the interaction with the employees offers more variety than their breakfast menu. This most recent experience left us slightly stunned at how blatantly bad it was.

I was standing in line at my favorite sub shop. I cringed every time the guy next to me spoke. “I want tomatoes, onions and hot mustard.” Seconds later: “Gimme more pickles.” And then “Make sure you don’t get that other stuff on my sandwich.” (Exactly what “other stuff” did he mean??)