A lot of people have opinions on what makes customer service good, bad, or even outstanding. I prefer a straight-forward, customer-focused defintion.

1. Good service occurs when a customer's expectations are met.
2. Poor service occurs when the customer's expectations are not met.
3. Outstanding service occurs when the customer's expectations are exceeded.

Lessons Learned:

This defintion suggests the most important step in delivering outstanding service is to learn what your customers want. So go ahead, ask them!