This may be it. This may be the year that it finally happens. 2010 may just be the year that companies start to focus on their customers and serving them well.

Now, I am cautiously optimistic about this focus on customer service, but let me tell you why I feel this way.

1. Brands are using a focus on customers as a competitive differentiator in their advertisements.

The Chicago Blackhawks are all about customer service. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. No doubt they’re more excited about winning hockey games and getting a slot in the NHL playoffs.

But they are on record as saying customer service is important to them. So important, in fact, they have beefed up their efforts to engage their fans.

The NHL website reports (today) that the Chicago Blackhawks franchise has launched:

More and more customers are going online before AND after they do business with a company. They’re getting smart about using online tools to make the best decision about who they do business with.

To thrive in this new world of connected customers you need to do more than ever to make sure your customers get the experience they want. If you do this well you can leverage the power of online feedback and reviews to grow your business. If you fail at this, the online chatter about your business can tarnish your reputation both online and off.

The white-coated pharmacist handed me my drugs at my local drug store this morning. As she did, her eyes grew big and her voice rose like a teenage girl on opening night of the latest Twilight movie.

“Oooh, you’ve been selected to take our feedback survey for a chance to win $1000,” she said. I’ve never seen a pharmacist so excited. Apparently the thrill of winning a lottery trumps counting pills on the excite-o-meter. Who knew?

A recent article about Burger King points to a weakness in what seemed like a profitable marketing strategy.  It reveals lower earnings by the company at a time when many of their so-called “Super Customers” are leaving them. According to the article, BK has focused much of their marketing on customer 18 to 34 years old. And their marketing strategy has been to focus on entertaining and even irreverent (some say offensive) ads.

A big priority for me is making sure customers have a voice.  Many of an organization’s problems can be overcome by having better conversations with their customers.

Intuitively, we know this. But we don’t always do it. And in some ways it’s harder than in “the good old days” because of how our world has changed.

The good news is we have more tools than ever before to help us connect with our customers.

I’ve been working on getting better at meeting my customers where they are.

That’s why I redeveloped this website last year, to make it more accessible. That’s why I offer a daily and weekly email newsletter with Amazing Service tips and tools. That’s why I created the free Amazing Customer Service Assessment Tool, the annual customer service survey, and the opportunity to learn from each other by sharing our customer service stories.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Be passionate about customer feedback

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Recently I was chatting online with a guy who does web design and software development. I was evaluating one of his products. At one point I asked him if he wanted feedback and if so how he preferred to get it.

His response: “I want all feedback!”

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Customer feedback can improve products and services

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Not long ago I was reviewing the website of a software developer. His product is used on thousands of websites (including AmazingServiceGuy.com) and is considered by many to be the best in its class. (You can count me as one of that “many”.)

As good as this product is, the developer, Chris Pearson, is always improving it. One of the ways he does that is by getting feedback from his customers. Here’s an example that tells the story well:

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Be easy to talk to

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

As a customer it’s frustrating enough when we get bad service. Too often we get less than we expect or want. So when we have a customer experience that thrills us, we usually want to share it.  We have a psychological need to do so. The same is true when we have a lousy customer experience.

In either case, our customers

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Encourage feedback from your customers

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Direct, honest feedback from our customers is among the most valuable information a business can have. Yet most employees treat feedback like the H1N1 virus. They hope they don’t get it and they’d really like to have a vaccination against it.

Not all feedback is negative. But it’s all

Think of the last time you had your eyes examined. At some point, your eye doctor (or optometrist) probably asked you to read some letters on an eye chart. If you wear glasses or contacts, you got to look through a lot of different lenses. This typically involves you comparing two different lenses against each other. He or she asks you which of the two is clearer.

For this process to work, you get asked a lot of questions. And you give a lot of feedback. Without your feedback there is no way your eye doctor can give you a complete description of your eye health. In this business, it’s understood there will be a lot of back and forth communication between you.