“Your call is important to us. Please hold for the next available Customer Service representative.”

Many business operations have been automated at the expense of customer service. The businesses that keep their Customer Service departments “human” often thrive.

Southwest Airlines is ranked as the number one airline in the United States, and they use only “live” human beings for their telephone Customer Service operations. Call 1-800-435-9792 and hear for yourself.

Automated customer service has been proven to drive customers crazy.

It will drive these customers away from many of the businesses that are using this service.

People often will turn to a competitor that uses a live operator.

Why? Because this business seems to care more about how customers are treated.

Most people like to talk to a person, so when you or your employees hide behind an automated phone system, your customers will get frustrated and move on to your competition.

Customer dissatisfaction will not only drive away prospective clients, it will drive up your marketing costs.

You will have to replace the customers whom you lose. It costs about five to seven times more to get a new client than it does to keep an existing one.

What are you doing to make it more convenient for your clients to contact your company on the telephone?

Many businesses set up an online presence and then forget about customer service.

Too many times they take days or weeks to respond to client and prospect questions.

Even worse, sometimes they forget entirely. One great way to set your business apart from your competition is to attempt to respond to your online inquiries within minutes.

A short time ago, I was offered a one-on-one phone session with Chet Holmes, a protege of marketing guru Jay Abraham. Chet was promoting the marketing seminars that he was conducting with Jay Conrad Levinson.

Within fifteen minutes of leaving Chet an email message, I received a call from one of his associates, who asked me some qualifying questions and then scheduled a telephone meeting for the next day.

I was impressed, both with the fast response and with the information that I received from Chet Holmes and Associates.

These things showed a level of caring for the client that is extraordinary in today’s business climate.

What can you do to improve your customer service?