I believe one of the three necessities in any successful business is good customer service. Rarely do you find a successful business that doesn't have good customer service. It's easy to understand that if your customers aren't happy they won't use your services or buy your product.

Some people equate a good customer experience to high investment. The more you train your team members the better customer service they provide. The better tools you provide your team members the better customer service they provide. The more you pay your team members the better customer service they provide. This isn't true.

I am a huge fan of saying, "If our customers aren't happy with us they'll find someone that will make them happy."

This is the absolute truth in any business. Whether you make widgets or provide services, your customers are the final arbiter of your performance. Leaving them with the feeling that you are their for them and their needs means success.

In a recent article Bill McClellan of the St. Louis Post Dispatch relates an experience he had that increased his customer service experience:

"Her name was Faye. I gave her my check and my deposit slip. I glanced around while she entered my deposit and pulled out my cash, which she counted out as she handed it to me. Then she gave me my receipt for the deposit. I started to put the receipt away when I noticed something. A stamped "Thank You" on the slip.

"Is this new?" I asked her.

"Oh, I did that," she said, and she pointed to pens of various colors. So it wasn't a stamp. It was something Faye was doing, and for no particular reason except to do it. Just thanking the customers, and if they noticed it, fine, and if not, that's fine, too.

What was the cost of this gesture? One could say the five minutes it takes Faye to write thank you on the slips throughout the day would be better spent doing something else, but we know those five minutes would be spent doing something less than productive.

The real cost is nothing, but the benefits are immense. Bill summed it up perfectly by assessing the risk. Customers who notice will be positively impacted and those who don't notice wouldn't look anyway.

There are a few things you can do to inexpensively to increase your customer service levels in your business:

1. Practice it internally: Treat your team members like you would your customers. Ensure there is a culture where your team members treat each other that way as well. Not only are you reinforcing a skill, but your team members will appreciate it.
2. Leave a little of yourself: The thank you on the slip was a reminder that the bank was thankful for your business. You can extend this to a phone call or an email. Take the time to leave a little of yourself after each deal or transaction. Show appreciation that your customer chose you.
3. Understand your customer's situation: Empathize with what your customer is feeling when they come to you. In my line of business we typically hear from customers when something isn't working. It's important we extend ourselves to understand how this is impacting them and empathize with their condition. It even works when customers are excited about something. For instance, I recently purchased a car stereo and was very excited. My car doesn't support the standard wiring harnesses, so the store had to customize something for me. Throughout the process I was excited about getting a new car stereo and the sales associate shared that excitement with me.

These are just three of a number of things you can do increase your customer service without increasing how much you spend.

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