Devoted to customer service and the principles of exceptional customer services

Last week I asked the question, Are Customers At the Top of Your Mind?  C.B. Whittemore of Flooring the Consumer tagged me to share my own 3 tips.  However, there are some prerequisites for these tips:

• It shouldn't take a lot of time to execute

• It shouldn't feel too much like an ad or be in your face

• It should help your customers or potential customers think of your services.

Here are my tips:

Thank Your Customers
Thank your customers, thank your customers, thank your customers.  This is priority #1.  This habit was engraved in me during my time at Nordstrom and it's one of those little things that count.  Before you start your work day, sit down and write a handwritten note or even just a quick email to say "Thank You" to a customer or two.  It'll start your day off on the right track.  This attitude of gratitude will keep the flow of business coming your way!  Check out an example of a Thank You card I send. 

Blog
I've talked about blogging for business at one of my other blogs...During BlogWorld Marc Cuban gave a keynote speech about blogging and the one tip he had for bloggers is to be honest.  If you're going to communicate with your customers in this way, write naturally as if you're talking to your customer face-to-face.  Don't make your blog sound like one of those hum-drum, boring brochures. 

Another thing I'd like to add about blogging is to offer content of value and don't worry about blogging frequency.  As Joe Puluzzi says in this great post, How Poor Marketing Kills Great Content: "...blogging is not about 'how often' but about how the blogger participates in the community."

Socialize through Facebook
I admit that I've become just a little addicted to Facebook, but I think it's a great way to connect with customers.  Find out if your customers have Facebook (or even MySpace!) profiles and stop by their page from time to time and leave a comment, send them a little virtual gift, or even share news stories or blog posts with them.  You could set up a Facebook page (check out mine) just for your business so it won't conflict with your personal page.