Service is one of those wonderful, Warm Fuzzy words like love and happiness. They are easy to say and sound so good, but unless they are backed with real substance, they mean so little.

Service is what we do to impress and retain our customers in this competitive society. The reality today is that most products and services in almost every industry appear indistinguishable from one company to the next. Since customers have many choices to choose from, it is Service that brings them back!

Customers really want three things with every purchase. They will shop around to find them and become loyal to those who provide them.

A solution to their problems or satisfaction of their desires, as promised (the product or service.) A trusted salesperson or consultant who has their best interests at heart.

Value-Added Service service that exceeds expectations. It takes effort and investment to create service systems, more effort and investment in training the staff to deliver the Value-Added Service but it is worth it all. Companies that provide these Value-Added Service Functions have higher retention rates, faster growth rates, and usually higher profit margins also!

Warm Fuzzy words or realistic customer expectations? If you build your Service Program on these three basics your customers will reward you with return business, good will, and referrals for many years so get started by comparing your level of service to your competition or your industry standards, design a better customer service system, and train your staff to deliver it. Do it now - your competitor might be reading this!