At the front entrance of Stu Leonard's Dairy Store stands a large boulder. Engraved in the boulder are these words:

"Our Policy

Rule 1: The customer is always right!

Rule 2: If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule 1"

This inscription in stone illustrates the attitude needed for exceptional customer service. Stu Leonard has successfully transformed their policy into action to over 100,000 weekly customers.

Leonard's reputation for exceptional customer service has gained both international recognition and envious profits.

The last few years of this century and the next will involve intense competition not only for grocery stores but for all businesses that provide either a service or a product.

Price plays an important difference between businesses today, but it may not be the most important difference. Price is important but people are less willing to drive half-way across town only to save $1.00.

Today, the vast majority of busy urbanites would rather shop at a place that goes out of its way to serve them, even if the prices are slightly higher. People are growing increasingly frustrated with mega-stores that provide lousy service. Businesses can no longer compete strictly on price of goods and services alone.

The primary competitive advantage now and beyond is how you treat your customers. The recipe for exceptional customer service boils down to a few basic ingredients.

Those ingredients are: flexibility, friendliness, speed, and exceeding customer needs and expectations; lots of little things that make tremendous differences.

Ideas to keep you exceptionally pleasing to your customers:

Build a long-term relationship with your customers, not a one night stand. Call your customers on the phone or stand at the door as they are leaving. Ask them how they were treated, what you could have done better. Will they return to buy something else?

Pretend you are the customer and evaluate your own business. Use a telephone and call your office up. How long does it take to get an answer? How are you handled? Do they use your first name? Did they make you feel welcome or were you treated like a nuisance?

Measure what's important to your customers. The customer, not management, decides what exceptional service is. Identify what they need and expect. Then develop a system to show how well you are doing in each area that is important to your customers.

Success means lots of little things. Don't accept average service. Go over and beyond the call of duty. Provide lots of extras, like smiles, using customers' first names, gift wrapping, birthday and anniversary cards. All these little things add up to big profits and lots of loyal customers.

Handle all customer complaints with enthusiasm. For every 1 complaint there is at least 10 other customers that visited your business who has the same complaint. A portion of the 10 just took their business to your competitor. Make each encounter positive and look for the opportunity to improve.

Treat your employees the way you want your customers treated. The front-line person is the most important person in your organization. If they feel management cares about them, they will reflect the same respect to your customers. In fact, your employees are your internal customers. Listen to them; they probably have the answer to most of your customer service problems.

Provide your staff with the right kinds and amounts of training. Employees will provide exceptional service if they are properly trained. Each year spend a percentage of your budget on training. Look at it as an investment.

Make heroes out of your customer service people. Catch them doing something right. Ask your customers to tell you who pleased them the most. Reward and recognize to no end.

Provide a customer service guarantee that excites people. Customers are sick of loopholes and limited warranties. People are tired of hassles and long lines and forms to fill out. Sure, there will be people who will take advantage of you, but the trade-off is a lot more people who will buy, visit, tell their friends about and spend their money on you and not on your competitor.

Don't stop, continuously improve all areas relating to customer service. The competition never stops, neither should you. Evaluate world class customer service organizations and see what they are doing. Benchmark their good ideas and make them work in your business.

Free by fax: If you would like our list of customer service training videos, please fax your letterhead with the words "Customer Service" to 770-760-0581.

Gregory P. Smith lives in Conyers, Georgia. He helps organizations solve problems and build more productive work environments. For further information please call (770)860-9464 or send E-mail to greg@chartcourse.com. You can find more information and business tips at www.chartcourse.com