“The customer is always right” is a concept that has been somehow lost in the hustle and bustle of today’s world. Large retailers keep refining their return policies to make it more difficult for consumers and companies are overloading their staff to save their bottom line. So, it’s no wonder customer service has fallen off the map.
We live in an age of information. Chances are, whatever you’re selling, your clients can find the same product or service on the web within minutes. The only chance you have to stand out from your competition these days is to offer customer service.
People want to buy from people they know… and like. Aside from that, you really don’t have anything more to offer than the next company. The good news (if you’re a business owner) and bad news (if you’re a consumer) is that it does not take much effort to really stand out these days.
At some point as a business owner, you will make a mistake with a client. That is okay as long as you take measures to fix the problem. It is not the mistake that matters, but the level of commitment taken to rectify the mistake and to make sure it never happens again.
In fact, you can sometimes build a stronger relationship with a client that you wronged as it gives you the opportunity to show your passion to make it right. That commitment and passion is what will keep your customers returning and singing your praises to others.
If you have employees, make sure they understand that their customer service skills directly reflect on the business and the bottom line. There is nothing worse than spending money on a marketing campaign to get people in your doors, only to lose them because your employee was not well-versed in customer service.

Kimberly Davidson is the Business Development Manager for the City of Murrieta. She is the head of the Marketing Committee for the Economic Development Corporation of Southwest California and an ambassador for the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce. Kimberly can be reached at (951) 461-6003 or (951) 970-8242.

A steady stream of good ideas—new products, innovative employee benefits, creative ways of helping customers—is key to business success, especially in this turbulent business environment. Here are some approaches for finding ideas that will help your organization thrive:
• Target recurring problems. Ask employees to tell you about processes that make their work more difficult, red tape that costs your company money, common customer complaints, and the like. Solutions to such problems will reinforce your bottom line.
• Don’t limit the opportunities. Not every idea will be a game changer. Sometimes the best strategy is to implement lots of modest solutions instead of waiting for one blockbuster. Let employees know you’re interested in suggestions large and small.
• Put ideas into action quickly. Ideas need momentum. Don’t lose it by spending too much time studying every angle. Set some general guidelines—how much money can an employee spend, for example?—and empower employees to try out their ideas right away.
• Dedicate some time to idea generation. Employees may be too busy to recognize potential solutions and ideas. Try holding an offsite meeting every once in a while devoted to identifying problems and brainstorming solutions.
• Review your solutions. Take a fresh look at the idea after employees have had some time to implement it. How can you make it more efficient? Will it work elsewhere in your company? You can use good ideas as building blocks to support improvement throughout your organization.
—Adapted from the Investors.com Web site