Hug Your Way to Success

Compare that to today’s level of customer service. Just try to get an airline employee to help track down your lost luggage. Or try to get someone to help you replace an appliance that was built so shoddily that it broke within six months. Or try to get someone on the phone to help you with the computer software or insurance policy that they sold to you.

There’s a growing gap between the expectations and desires for service that customers have and what they actually receive—and that’s not good for the future of our businesses. We are losing our customer-service edge, and that may be the last leg we’re standing on in this global economy.

Back to Basics

As my kids like to say, “Dad, that’s the way it was in the old days.” And, like my kids, some of you may dismiss my message as sentimentality for the good old days. However, successful businesses have to be successful in building customer relationships—and that fundamental fact will withstand the test of time.

In this technological age, it’s a refreshing idea: Treat your customers as special individuals who are important to the success of your business. It’s not about increasing profits by decreasing customer satisfaction. It’s not about the latest technology, but about leveraging technology to learn customers’ preferences, buying habits, and what makes them feel good. It’s just about good, old-fashioned, sincere customer service. So, go ahead. Hug your way to success!