Exceeding expectations is a worn-out cliché these days, but like all clichés, it covers an important truth. In an age of instant gratification and heightened public awareness of consumer issues, your customers expect you to be good. Good is standard. Good is average against which you are judged.

Good doesn't win you any prizes.

Bad, on other hand, ranges from outright awful, to 'trying-hard-but-not-quite-there'. Any point on this long line results in three things - none of which you want: The immediate loss of a customer; certain loss of their future trade; probability that they will bad-mouth you to everyone they know, ensuring that a number of potential customers are lost to you as well.

------------------------------------------------------- Aside: In writing this, I am deliberately personalizing it to you. You are representative of your company whether you are boss or messenger. Customers don't care about your position; they care about service they receive. So whoever you are, whatever you do, customer service buck MUST stop with YOU. -------------------------------------------------------

Let's get practical. How do you go beyond 'good'? There are three steps that every company should take, no matter how big or small they are:

1. Empowerment

2. Think like your customers

3. Find out who is best in your field, copy them, and go a step further.

Empowerment. ------------

This is a little-understood, but immensely powerful concept. Too many companies are frightened to implement empowerment because they fear loss of control. They are so wrong. If idea is introduced correctly, with every member of staff understanding what is expected of them, and parameters under which they can operate, empowerment is single most important action that a company can take to improve its relationship with its customers.

As a simple example, consider famous hotel chain which discovered that it had a 'chain-of-command' problem:

A guest would complain about a problem to desk.

The desk would fill in a form.

The form would go through channels to a manager.

The manager would, in time, read report.

If manager felt problem was sufficiently important, it would be delegated to a operative to fix.

The hotel felt that is was responding to its guests complaints. In reality, problem may have been fixed, but not for guest who complained. That guest stayed disgruntled and probably took his business elsewhere. Perhaps even telling his friends and colleagues about problem (which by now no longer existed, but it did in their minds).

Then hotel learned about empowerment.

Lots of companies still operate under single purpose that drove a founder to start company long ago. L.L. Bean has not only survived, but thrived by adhering to Leon Leonwood Bean's mission set in 1912. He formulated it based on his passion for outdoors, a profound belief in honesty, and an unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. That has defined business for 89 years!

The greatest mistake companies make is to forget what their mission is. It makes things foggy, undefined, confusing. Principles and policies, and more importantly marketing materials, can get formulated according to department manager whims. How can your company message stick in minds of your target audience if you don't know it yourself?

Once you determine your company mission, it should play a part in every business decision you make.

Case Study: Buyers United, Salt Lake City, Utah, founded 1986

In operating like a coop, or buying collective, company would set out to get reduced rates on services like long distance telephone and Internet service. As membership increased and so did company's buying power, more services would be added to menu.