When you find a company that makes working with them a pleasure, I think it is appropriate to spread the word. We recently added two new salespeople to our Boise office and we were scrambling to find a place to put everyone in our limited office space. After researching a bit, we decided to buy several pieces of new office furniture online from Office Depot.

To my surprise, the furniture was delivered the next day, with no extra charge for shipping. Additionally, when we decided to return a desk we purchased, there were no questions asked. A full refund was given and there was no charge to have someone come and pick up the item the next day.

Anyone who has purchased items online, knows this kind of service is unmatched by most companies. The shipping was quick, the service was friendly, and there was no charge for shipping or delivery, even with items over 100 lbs.

Another Office Depot experience I had recently reinforced their above-and-beyond customer service attitude. We were looking to have some flyers printed and we had used another company’s services in the past because the cost was significantly lower. After speaking with an associate of the nearby Office Depot, she assured me they could match the price of any competitor and she also said I could use a coupon I received in the mail.

Since the Office Depot location is much closer and they said they could complete the job in a matter of minutes for a price that ended up being even lower than the competitor after the use of the coupon, we chose to take our business there. The quality of work was outstanding and the employees were friendly and helpful.

Although it may seem as though I am gushing about Office Depot here, there is a lesson for business owners. If you make your customers happy, not only will they keep coming back, they will talk about your exceptional service.

Samantha Bushard is an HR employee for the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.

I walked into a nice restaurant the other day and was appalled by what one of the waitresses was wearing. Her shirt was sleeveless and low cut and her skirt was several inches too short. She also had visible tattoos on her upper arm and lower back. Overall she looked out of place, since the other servers were dressed rather conservatively as one would expect.

Summer is fast approaching and unfortunately this often means employees entering the workplace with less clothing. This change in seasons is a good time to reinforce your company’s dress code.

The purpose of a dress code is to ensure that employees dress in a manner that represents your company well. The standards of dress can be different depending on the industry, but it is important to keep in mind the image you want your employees to portray.

Either for safety or professional reasons, summertime staples such as shorts, tank tops and flip flops are not appropriate in most working conditions. You may also want to consider the number of tattoos or piercings you will allow your employees to show. Sending out a memo, flyer, or email to employees reminding them of appropriate dress at work can help you avoid uncomfortable conversations with employees about showing too much skin.

Having an established dress code policy will ensure that your employees continue to represent your company well throughout the summer months.

Samantha Bushard is an HR employee for the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.

Have you ever been told by a vendor that you needed to shape up? I had that experience this week and it left me questioning when it is or is not appropriate to tell a client that they need to get their act together.

In order to properly evaluate this question I suppose I could talk about the value of the client, the vendor’s bargaining power, customer service norms and several other such issues, but I don’t think that’s necessary. Perhaps the question I should be asking is not if you should express a concern to a vendor but rather, how you should express a concern.

The vendor that told me to shape up did so via email. I wasn’t having a particularly good day and it didn’t take more than two to three sentences before my ire was up. I immediately started my email reply in which I expressed several frustrations in some rather aggravated tones. Fortunately, my brain turned back on before I sent the message and I spared myself the embarrassment associated with thoughtless email communication. Instead, I settled on acknowledging his concern and his transparent frustration with me.

Within a few minutes of my email I received a phone call from the vendor who apologized for allowing as much emotion into his email. He informed me that he wasn’t frustrated with me as much as he was with some of the complications of our project. We laughed about the exchange and both learned a lesson in the proper delivery of a message. For me, the lesson is that email, although easy and fast, is often a vastly inferior means of communicating sensitive information. You know that device on your desk with all the buttons and much smaller display than your PC? Use that when relaying information that may be construed as negative.

Jake Lunt is the General Manager of Idaho Operations for A Plus Benefits Inc.

Nordstrom’s philosophy has remained unchanged for more than 100 years since its establishment by John W. Nordstrom in 1901: Offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality and value. While many businesses have similar philosophies towards customer service, few retailers have been able to inspire such an overwhelming public perception. By cultivating a service culture within their management and employees, Nordstrom’s name has become synonymous with superior customer service.

Many businesses spend thousands of dollars and scores of man hours every year looking for ways to attract new customers and to solidify existing relationships with their current clients. They focus on advertising, operations, sales and a multitude of other aspects of their company, without looking at the most fundamental solution, customer service. If you were to ask them how important customer service is, they will give you a sincere answer about how their customers are the lifeblood of their company. But do they practice what they preach?

Reflect back on some of your day to day interactions as a customer this past week. The restaurant, dry cleaners, grocery store, mall or any other consumer experiences you might have had. How many times were you wowed by the service you received?

What is considered good customer service anymore?

Here are a few simple keys to set your business apart as a leader in your industry.

• Smile, a friendly smile and greeting can set the stage for a great customer experience.
• Focus on their needs, not your profits. By providing solutions to the problems your customers face, you create a relationship and trust that can eventually relate to profits.
• Be quick and efficient when helping your customers. A long line is annoying, but watching employees lounge around when you’re in a hurry can be frustrating beyond words.
• When the customer is ready for your help, give them all your attention. Don’t let the phone or other conversations get in the way.
• When (not if) mistakes happen, fix the error, do it quickly and apologize to the customer, they will understand as long as you don’t blame them or try to make excuses.
• Thank them (by name if possible) for their business and ask them to return

You may be thinking that I didn’t explain anything you didn’t already know. But when was the last time you received this kind of service? Does it happen all the time or is it a rarity? If you and your employees will follow these simple steps, your business will differentiate yourselves from 95% of your competition and profits as well as customer loyalty will soar.

Daryl Sisk is Vice President of Sales and Marketing for A Plus Benefits, Inc. You can contact Daryl at dsisk@aplusbenefits.com

An interesting thing happened today when I called Southwest Airlines to ask about canceling a flight. To my surprise the pleasant voice on the other end of the phone said I could cancel my flight as long as I did so at least an hour before take off. I was so shocked I asked her to repeat what she said. I expected at least a 24 hour time limit for cancellations.

Southwest effectively demonstrates something important about customer service: offer extra flexibility. Customers will become increasingly more comfortable with paying for your service if you allow them to change their mind. With Southwest I will not get my money back if I cancel the flight, but I will get an equivalent credit to use within a year of the original date of my flight. If you happen to be in an industry where giving refunds is unwise provide credit or some other form of flexibility. Perhaps you could try one of the following.

In a retail setting, you could increase customer satisfaction by offering a flexible exchange policy. Within a service driven company you could offer a variety of choices/packages for your customers.

In the case of A Plus Benefits, we offer three different levels of service with a wide array of choices within each of those levels. Each client is able to hand pick which services they want ranging from a 125c cafeteria plan to workers’ compensation policy and claims management. This flexibility gives clients the piece of mind of having a service package created just for their business needs.

Whatever your business, think of creative ways to help customers feel comfortable with making a purchase. Flexibility will not only create more satisfied customers but, like I’ve just done with Southwest, will generate word of mouth about the quality of your product or service.

Samantha Bushard is an HR employee at the Idaho office of A Plus Benefits, Inc.