They think customers are liars and cheats and, if given the chance, will rip off the company. To prevent that from happening, they develop ridiculous rules, policies, and procedures.

What we're talking about is improving customer service. Virtually any company can benefit from this.

They fear that, if employees are empowered to make decisions, their roles in the organization will be diminished or eliminated.

Advertising will get a customer through the door to your business once, but it is service that will keep them coming back. Advertising is aimed at the masses; customer service is aimed at the individual. Service recovery creates word-of-mouth advertising that is 100 times cheaper and more powerful than traditional advertising.

Without empowerment, an organization will never be a service leader. Empowerment is the most critical skill an employee can master and a company can drive in order to lure?and keep?customers.

It 's solving a customer's problem or complaint and sending him out the door feeling like he has just done business with the greatest company on earth. It's taking an unhappy customer from hell to heaven in 60 seconds or less.