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How many times have you needed to be helped in a store only to find there was nobody around to help you? When you finally found a salesperson, were you discouraged to see several people waiting for them? How many times has a salesperson answered your question with the following statement? "I don't know." How many times have they made that statement without the offer of finding the information for you? How many times have you called a company only to be connected to a phone tree? After pressing button after button after button, instead of connecting to the voice that you need, do you end up hearing, "I'm sorry, goodbye?"

I have visions in my head of an earlier, kinder, gentler time. A time when you could actually walk into a store and have salespeople scurry to get to you and help you find the item that you need. I remember when you pulled into a gas station and were surrounded by men filling your tank, cleaning your windows and checking your oil. OK, it's fair to say that we'll never get back to Andy Taylor's time in Mayberry. However, I think we can all agree that for companies to stay competitive (in today's market) our country needs sharp improvement in one fundamental category: Customer Service.

Customer Service 101 is basic. The following 10 questions should be reviewed for your business.

1. How many QUALIFIED people do I have providing service?
2. How many people do I REALLY need to provide GOOD customer service?
3. What happens when I call my company with the regular customer number?
4. How long does it take me to get the answer that cannot be provided through our normal phone tree?
5. Is the voice on the other end educated enough about our products and services to be able to answer most questions?
6. If the voice on the other end is not educated enough to provide the information, how long does it take them to get me to the right person?
7. If I spend money on everything else while foregoing service needed for my customers what am I going to lose?
8. How can I measure what my service level is now and survey possible changes in the future?
9. What is my level of training and how is accountability by employees measured?
10. What are my results?

The easiest way for us to understand what we need is to review the way that we personally feel when we need something that we cannot seem to get through normal channels. Good customer service can go a long, long way. It's the inexpensive goodwill that can catapult your company to fame. Outstanding customer service will bring

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