My whole life I have provided customer service. And 99% of the time, I made it outstanding customer service. It's not hard to do! The customer is handing you money for something - and you want to deliver a great experience, so that they keep coming back! It's not rocket science!

But we have all had it happen to us. You are having a great day. You walk into a store or a restaurant and get a bitter, unhappy person to wait on us. Or, maybe YOU are having  a  really bad day, and it's affecting your mood. And someone tries to provide you good service and you bite off their head for no good reason at all, other than the fact you are having a bad day.

Customer service is in such a bad state right now. I can not tell you how many times I have gotten awful service in the last couple years, yet the person delivering the bad service, thinks nothing of it.  It usually has even nothing to do with someone's bad mood. They just don't care. You know how many nightclubs and restaurants I am a "regular" at?  The owners know me by face and  yet 80% of them never even stop and say  "HI" to me.

GREAT customer service can make a mediocre product shine.  And BAD customer service can tarnish a great product.  Just this past weekend we had brunch at our favorite Chicago Sunday brunch spot - Angelina's. The food is great! The crowd is fun! But you can ALWAYS be assured of mediocre-bad service from the waitstaff! We just accept it because we like the food, a lot of friends eat there. and it's a great location. However if I was Brad Pitt,  I can guarantee my waiter at Angelina's would deliver 5 star service!

Over the weekend, I met author Donna Cutting at the SOBCon08 blogging conference. In her new book The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service, Donna  shares stories about how YOU can do a better job of providing customer service. This book is packed with stories about GREAT customer service from the hotel, food and beverage, airline, and so many other industries that if you have a job that relates to customer service in some way, this book will have something you can relate to.

Combining the best practices of the Hollywood celebrity scene with those of the business world, The Celebrity Experience is the extreme makeover of customer service! Learn how to generate buzz and positive word of mouth about your business by giving your customers the red carpet treatment.

Imagine a world where red carpets were rolled out for you wherever you went and you were always greeted by name and with a smile. Imagine being admired and complimented by strangers on a daily basis. Imagine if those who did business with you always bent over backwards to cater to your personal desires and needs. If that sounds like a fantasyland, it is. And it's called Hollywood! But the principles can be applied to any business.

It all comes down to ATTITUDE. Until you develop the right attitudes in your team, or in yourself, you cannot deliver great customer service. I read a great line  at 1000 Ventures that said, YOUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES YOUR ALTITUDE!


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