I just got back from a large supermarket chain to do some grocery shopping.  I don’t usually shop at this location of the chain, but it was convenient for me today.  Aside from the expected minor annoyance of not knowing the layout of the store, all went fairly smoothly until the end.  At the last minute, I remembered that I needed some sandwich meat to make for school lunches tomorrow.  At the location that I usually shop at, they have ready made bags of the popular deli meats already sliced by the deli counter and there for the taking. This store did not.  That’s alright, I thought, I see two uniformed staff behind the counter, and as luck would have it, nobody was in line.

Man, my grass looks good. I gotta tell you, it’s downright luscious.

I’ve written about my grass before. This is an important tidbit of info because I’ve been writing articles for more than ten years and I don’t remember ever writing about any other single thing more than once. That’s how much I like my grass. I’d go out right now and just roll in it, but I do think there’s a line even a “live out loud” dude like me crosses when you roll around in your own lawn for no apparent reason.

Perhaps the headline of this post offends you. You are thinking, “I’m honest with my customers; I pride myself on being ethical.”

Unfortunately, too many “ethical” companies, comprised of many ethical people, lie to their customers on a regular basis. Not necessarily big lies, or calculated lies, but rather broken promises. From the broadest advertising campaign promise, to a commitment made by an individual employee, any time a promise made to a customer is broken, they’ve been lied to.

On the recent weekend, we expected family and friends would be dropping by at irregular intervals with their various activities — making regular meals less likely.

I decided to stop at The Pickle Barrel — a well known Toronto restaurant and delicatessen — to pick up some bite-size deli sandwiches so we would have some easy snacks available whenever anyone was hungry. However, we are not fans of their lox and cream cheese sandwiches which are part of their pre-made party platters.

A foundation of my philosophy (in business and in the rest of my life) is that we need to treat everyone well. Another way to look at this is we’re here to serve others. And the best way to serve others (or at least, the best way to start) is by putting others first. This means treating them with courtesy, dignity and kindness. It also means putting their interests ahead of ours.

A key customer service principle is to “deliver on the promise of the brand.” Every organization owns a particular brand image in the minds of customers, and anything out of alignment with the brand creates a disconnect and a disappointment for the customer.

Imagine, for example checking into a Ritz Carlton hotel only be treated rudely or with an attitude of indifference. The contrast between the brand image and the actual experience would be jarring and memorable. But when the experience and an organization’s brand image are in alignment, the result is confidence, trust, and loyalty.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Do what your marketing says you will

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

A few weeks ago I traded in my old iPod for the new Touch 3G.  To keep it clean and like new, I bought a case for it from a company called Riot Outfitters. When I had a question about the case I decided to contact them using Twitter. After I found them on Twitter, I was pleasantly surprised by their Twitter profile which says:

“Made to protect and serve electronic devices. Each RIOT product is loaded with goodness and style. Backed by super responsive customer service”. (emphasis added).

Very cool. Here’s a company

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Be the best at what you do

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Last week a reader shared with me a perfect example of a business that does what they do very well. And they focus only on that. They don’t try to be all things to all customers. The result is, if you want what they offer, you’ll be a loyal customer. If not, you’ll probably never step foot in their business.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Be consistent

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

I’m a fan of the various sub and sandwich shops that have sprung up in the past few years.  They enable me to eat healthy and conveniently. And though the are all different, they all are good enough to patronize. But the shops that get my loyalty stand out in a big way.

They are consistent.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Make it easy for customers to leave

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Too many companies make it easy to become a customer and hard to leave. Maybe they think people will change their minds if it’s hard to quit. The classic example is this call to AOL that made national news:

We all have bad days. You know them. The days we’d rather just stay home. Or be anywhere but at work. It’s normal for us to be off once in awhile. Even professional athletes have slumps. So don’t deny this. Just accept that it’s going to happen.

But that doesn’t mean you have to let it affect how you do your job. In fact, it does not give you the right to deliver lower quality service. Just the opposite. Being a professional means no matter how you feel (or how bad your slump is) you keep doing your best.

No matter what your situation is, you can always choose to be Amazing.

This video shows us what happens when someone let’s their bad attitude run amok. It demonstrates (in a funny way) how customers see us when we let our slumps affect our work.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Consistency builds trust.

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Long term, sustainable increases in customer loyalty require trusting relationships between customer and companies. As a customer, I’ll keep doing business with you if I believe your goal is to help me. The more I trust you, the easier it is for me to believe you’re in business to help. The two go together like chocolate and peanut butter.