Thanks!

Winter in Austin is pretty amazing.  Most mornings greet us with clear blue skies, gentle breezes and temperatures that stay in the flawless zone. 

I celebrate this perfection by doing a series of daily outdoor exercises.  

Yesterday was no exception.  Dressed in my usual attire, house key safely pined to the inside of my jacket, cross trainers securely laced and fully hydrated; I push into my first movements.  I’m not a hundred yards from my front door before I trip over an unseen crack in the sidewalk.  The good news is that I catch myself before I completely fall on my face.  

It all stays rather ordinary yet invigorating until I come face-to-face with a Mini Cooper who obviously is more concerned with turning on red than making sure he doesn't cream me in the process.  I hit the hood of the car right before his bumper makes contact with my leg.    

Given these near misses in one “uneventful” morning of exercise makes me wonder how many narrow escapes I dodge daily.  How many times are the cute little angels that perch on my shoulder called into action to circumvent some situation that could become tomorrow’s news.  Probably hundreds. . .if not thousands. 

And that's why customer service is so important. 

How many “near misses” do you have a day?  How many times is there a gap in communication or a goof in delivery to say nothing of the times we think we’re on target when we’re sadly not even close? 

And yet our clients and customers give us the benefit of the doubt.  They stick with us with all our imperfection never keeping score, staying loyal to the brand. 

Certainly great customer service is a way to enhance the level of customer satisfaction before, during and after a purchase. 

But it’s also an acknowledgement and an apology.   The process of going above and beyond to service our clients is a gesture that admits to our imperfections and communicates a sincere appreciation of their loyalty and allegiance.