I’ve often heard that customer service is a lost art. It used to be something that a customer expected. However, of late, it has almost become an unexpected surprise.

Given that Accent Transportation Services is in the business of service, providing Phoenix airport executive car service, Scottsdale airport limo service and special event transportation that exceeds our customer’s expectations, I find this topic of interest.

There are plenty of insurance companies, hotels, financial institutions, credit cards and even car services to choose from. So, what makes one company stand out over another? What motivates a customer to select one over the other? Is it price, services, time or how about value?

It can’t always be about price can it? I realize we’re in a recession; however, at the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

The definition of  “customer service” is straightforward enough. Dictionary.com defines it as: assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services. Obviously, there’s more to it than that.

I recently read a Bloomberg Businessweek article on “Standouts in Customer Service” (did I mention I’m a bit obsessed with serving customers…). Here is the link: www.bit.ly….. The magazine ranked the top 25 standouts for 2010. There were several on the list that did not surprise me (USAA, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, The Ritz-Cartlon, American Express and the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts) but several that did. The entire list can be found through the link above.

The article asserted that most would assume that 2009 would have been a particularly hard year for customer service. Companies slashed inventories, cut back employee hours, benefit and pay (all huge attitude motivators). However, customer satisfaction rose rather than declined.

Analysts believe that the recession motivated companies to focus on taking care of the customer. Discussions on cutting costs, outsourcing and automation turned into discussions on how to increase customer loyalty.

Good or bad economy, Accent Transportation Services (www.transaccent.com) believes in exceeding our customer’s expectations. We do this through value; we offer free in-car WiFi in all of our cars as well as complimentary recharging of your devices after a flight (laptops, iPods, smart phones, etc.), and other services. We don’t mind competing on price either! Tell us you read this blog, follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/transaccent or friend us at http://www.facebook.com/transaccent and we’ll give you a 10 percent roundtrip discount.

Stay tuned for part two of this article, where we’ll share some of the customer service tips and tricks from the top 25 customer service winners!
(more…)