I do worry about the future for businesses that don’t seem to realise that their best marketing tool is their service. Get that right and customers will return time and time again. You don’t have keep slogging uphill to find new customers if your current ones stay with you - AND they refer their friends and contact to you.

Take my experience in Homebase recently. I simply wanted 3 ‘made to measure’ matchpots of paint for our hall decorating project. They take a lot of time to make up individually and time, that day, was something I was very short of.

• So I phoned and asked if they could make them up for me to collect later – “No, not possible.”
• I offered to pay over the phone and collect them later – “No, we don’t take payments over the phone.”
• I suggested going in, paying and coming back for the products later – “No, you can’t pay for products in advance.”

So help me I said – what do we do? The lady then suggested that they make up the paint pots and I collect and pay for them later. “But that’s what I asked for in the first place!,” I said. “Well, I’m just trying to be accommodating,” came the e reply.

So yes, eventually I got what I wanted – but good customer service shouldn’t be that difficult. Surely the answer to most questions should be a straight 'YES' and work back the logistics from there. It will be what differentiates the chaff from the wheat over time after all.

This weekend I spent nearly £3000 in HomeBase. Surely I am the sort of customer they should embrace and cultivate. Big companies have a bigger issue to resolve – getting that ‘can do’ attitude right down onto the shop floor can be a struggle. But there is no excuse in a small business.

You are the front line – are you embracing your customers with a ‘yes’ first, and worrying about the ‘how’ later?

Want to comment? Do you have any exampled of how customer service you experienced forged a loyal bond with a business?

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