The key to good customer service is meeting your clients' expectations the first time, every time. But if you want to move beyond good customer service, you have to exceed those expectations, maybe not always, but often enough for them to be impressed that you are committed to their needs as much or more than they are themselves. That kind of customer service is what makes them loyal.

You cant be at our company very long without hearing some of the heroics our employees have done to ensure customer satisfaction; such things happen frequently. This kind of "extra-mile" service is characteristic of what superior companies do.

Carl Sewell's book, Customers for Life: How to Turn That One-Time Buyer into a Lifetime Customer (New York: Doubleday, 1990), lays out ten principles he has hammered out to ensure his automobile dealerships maintain the outstanding customer service for which they are famous. Let's focus on rule #4: "When the customer asks, the answer is always yes." Sewell explains that his company encourages its employees to do anything possible for their customers:

We're probably not going to paint your house or wash your windows. We sell automobiles. However, if the request relates to our business, we're going to try to do it. Whenever possible we want to help our customers.

My company does the same thing, except we go a step farther as illustrated by the following story I received last week from a coworker in a big, midwestern city:

One of our clients was working later at our office. He mentioned to our salesperson it was the day of his wedding anniversary, and he had not had time to pick up a gift for his wife. He said he was sure to be in hot water because he was going home empty-handed and was also going to be late.

Without the client knowing about it, the sales rep asked the receptionist to order long-stemmed, peach roses in a box. (He knew peach was her favorite color.) Since it was already late, between 8 and 8:30 P.M., finding a florist at that hour seemed like it might be a monumental task.

She called several mall florists, but didn't have enough of a window to get a courier there before closing at 9 p.m. Then she remembered that there was a florist near downtown that closed at 9. Sure enough, the florist was near enough to our office that the receptionist was able to order the flowers and have our driver pick them up by closing time.

The client was ecstatic! He couldn't believe that just by mentioning his predicament, it was instantly solved. He also was doubly pleased that she was able to find peach-colored roses, since it is an unusual color to have in stock.

What do you think will happen the next time this customer's company is considering who to do business with? Such experiences make customers extremely loyal. Of course, this will only work if our "ordinary" customer service delivered with courtesy and professionalism, meets or exceeds their expectations.

Sewell says, "Our job is to take care of the customer so well that he keeps coming back to us for the rest of his life." His company's policy is: "If it's something that a friend would do for another friend, don't charge. Don't worry, you'll more than make up the money in future business."