Good customer service is the essence of every successful business, whether done from home or from a swanky workplace. It is not just about getting new customers but about keeping your existing ones happy- so happy that they not only comeback to you, but also refer you to others. Management guru Peter Drucker, says that it is 8 times cheaper to retain old customers than to get new ones!

1. You will be judged by what you do, not what you say

First and foremost, don't promise anything you cannot deliver. Reliability is the key to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception. If you say, "Your new software will be delivered tomorrow," make sure it is delivered or else, don't say it. The same rule applies to client appointments, deadlines, etc. Think before you say anything - because nothing "breaks" customers more easily than a broken word. Customers only remember what you finally do, not what you said you would do.

2. Walk a mile in your customer's shoes.

• Understand your customer's needs thoroughly - Think how he thinks, give him what he needs and you will never lose him. Treat him the way you want to be treated.

• Let him talk - Just listen, and let him feel he is being heard through proper acknowledgement.

• Ask Questions - Don't hesitate to ask questions to understand his needs. Asking shows that you care

• Articulate what you understood - so that there is no communication gap.

• Throw in something extra - a discount or an extra effort won't hurt you, but will make your customer very happy and remember people always notice when you make an extra effort and will tell others about it too.

• Be creative and innovative - make certain that what you are offering is something that your customer can value and is something more than your competitors do!

• Be easily accessible - Nothing is more frustrating than wishing to speak to someone and find yourself face to face with a recorded message. Don't leave your customers out in the cold. Offer several options for contacting you, whether by email, phone, instant messaging system, live chat on your website, or a help desk/trouble ticket system.

3. Train your staff (if you have any) to be ALWAYS helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable.

Educate your staff to be as concerned about your customers as you are. Train them yourself or hire someone to do it. Talk to them about good customer service and what it is (and isn't) regularly. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, "I don't know, but so-and-so will be of some help." Make random checks to see how your employees deal with customers.

4. Make your business dealings simple.

Don't hide behind complicated legalese. Don't expect your customer to page through a multi-page, small print document and read and understand all your stipulations, especially if they're written in legalese rather than simple English. If you put unfavorable or difficult terms in your Terms of Service agreement and your customer signs it, sure, you have legal protection to back up whatever terms they stipulated to with their signature. But, will the wrangling over those terms be worth it in the end? If you have terms that your customer might not find favorable at a later date, be sure to point those out to him in the beginning. Don't expect him to figure it out on his own, and don't hide behind the cowardly excuse, "Well, you should have read the Terms of Service thoroughly."

Too much legalese scares potential customers away and makes existing ones suspicious. Have your attorney change any complicated contracts or Terms of Service agreements that you have into ones that are easily read and understood by the average person.

5. Deal with complaints immediately and pleasantly.

Keep your complaint mechanism open, Take down the complaints and thank the customer for the feedback. Remember, no amount of advertising can repair the damage done by failing to properly address a customer's problem. Even more damaging to a small business is the "silent complainer." That's the customer who simply walks out without saying a word, and you never get to see him again. These silent complainers kill potential customers.

Always get back to the person after his complaint has been redressed.

Remember to be -

• Open and honest with your clients. Any business or organization is said to be open and honest when it provides information on service capabilities and limitations and costs, truthfully. Be transparent.

• Have regular customer feedback. A business with good customer service always asks for regular feedbacks from its clients about its services.

• Implement positive action when things go wrong. Good businesses or organizations fix mistakes or errors for you with the minimum fuss and take customer's complaints seriously.

• Communicating effectively. It uses language that an ordinary man can easily understand.