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:

The most frequent question I get from clients is how do we get our people to do something differently tomorrow. They are asking about execution from their top leaders, managers and front line teams. The executives have spoken of service excellence at many meetings and they don’t see implementation. Or they see too much variability and not enough accountability so it goes back to some people get it and others don’t.

Here are three thoughts:

In a recent post, I wrote about my friend’s experience at Beau Jacks, a suburban Detroit restaurant. Their experience was exceptional; so, I decided to interview the owner, Gary Cochran. I wanted to learn what he does to keep his customers coming back 3 or 4 nights a week. His restaurant is so successful that patrons are willing to endure long waits, because it’s worth it, even in Detroit’s depressed times. Beau Jack’s is also one of Jay Leno’s favorite Detroit restaurants.

In 2008, the president of Brazil signed a decree (number 6.523) that defines customer service standards for companies operating in that country. According to Michael Maoz, of Gartner.com this is not necessarily is a good thing. He does not believe it will improve how Brazilian customers are treated.

Whether it works or not, I like what the Brazilian president has done. Not because I’m a big fan of regulation. (I’m not.)

Last week Bruce Buschel wrote an amusingly useful piece in the New York Times on what restaurant employees should and should not do. It has been popular. A search on Google now shows 124,000 links for the title of this article.

This thrills me because the Buschel made some fine points. He offers excellent advice for anyone who manages or works in a restaurant. As a frequent restaurant customer, I applaud his list. If I found a restaurant that met every one of these standards I’d probably be speechless. But I’d also be a loyal customer because these tips make sense. They fit what I want in a fine dining experience.

“If you make customers unhappy in the real world, they might each tell six friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.”

-Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com

The days of ducking down and hoping nobody will notice when things go awry are over. These days, if customers get a bad experience, they are likely to share their story with the whole world. Internet review websites are here to stay. So, rather than ignore them or hope they’ll go away, it’s better to deal with them in a positive and proactive way.

Here are three ways you can improve online customer reviews:

1. Get in front of it

Bad online reviews from customers come from bad customer experiences. This happens when

One of the best ways to increase revenue and profits in a tough economy is to get more new customers who are already sold on your product, service or brand. These customers can be hugely profitable because they require very little marketing or sales costs. By the time they reach your door they have already heard good things about your business and they are interested in learning more. If handle them right a high percentage will become customers with little effort on your part.

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Catch people in the act of delivering amazing service

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

If you want to improve your own customer service then watch people around you and observe the customer service they deliver. Maybe these people are co-workers. Maybe they are employees in businesses you patronize. It doesn’t matter. Your first step is to watch them and note how they do. Your second step is to reward them when they deliver great customer service.

Cities and towns often develop reputations for different things. Beaches, golf courses, fishing, art, cold weather. You name it and a locale is probably associated with it. But I’ve yet to hear about a community famous for their customer service. I’ve never experience or been told about a town where the service is so good and so consistent, it’s part of their brand.

But what if that place existed?

How would a community benefit if they were famous for their customer service? What difference would it make to their local economy if people who came there were routinely thrilled at how well they were treated?

You might call it a brand promise. You might call it your Customer Service Standards. Some companies call it a brand message or promise. I call it your Customer Experience Promise.

What you call it is not as important as what you do with it. Use it to tell your story. It tells people why they should do business with you. And it helps them know what to expect when they do business with you.

Your Customer Experience Promise comes from your customers based on what they want. It also comes from management and employees based on what the company does best. All three groups should play a role in developing your Customer Experience Promise because

Customer Service Week

Very soon (46  days to be exact) we will begin Customer Service Week. This is an opportune time for you to show your customers and employees how important customer service is to you and your organization. And to make the most of it, you should get started now.

My first suggestion is to go to this website for Customer Service Week: CSWeek.com. They have

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Don’t try to be perfect

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

I’m always amazed at how many of us fall into the perfection trap. We can’t start something until we think we have the whole thing planned out. Or we don’t finish things until they’re done to our level of perfection. I’ve done both, more than I care to admit.

Striving for quality is great. So is meeting standards. But we should never strive so much for perfection that we lose sight of our goal. That is wasteful.