Wear Your Customer's Shoes

Are you really treating customer how you would want to be treated? Yes, it's the old Golden Rule and it never goes out of style. Here are some ways to be sure that you're following the Golden Rule.

 *Shop at your competitor's business and see how they treat customers
 *Review your refund, exchange and return policies
 *Listen in on staff's handling of call-in and walk-in service
 *Are your hours of operation adequate?
 *Are your phones answered by real people?
 *Do you accept all major credit cards?
 *Do you ask customers what new things they want?
 *Do you watch your customer's faces during a purchase?
 *Do you have your best people doing customer contact?
 *Do you treat complaints like an opportunity?
 *Does everyone on your staff smile often?
 *Do you offer samples or demonstrate freely?
 *Do you periodically work the front lines?
 *Cab you say that you never cheat a customer?

More on Customer Satisfaction in chapter 16 of the book "90 Days to Success as a Small Business Owner" available everywhere.