Once upon a time, customer service meant more than pressing 2 to wait (and wait and wait) for “the next available representative.” Companies valued those who bought their goods and services and went the proverbial extra mile to make them happy. Today we’re more likely to hear how a company has given its customers short shrift rather than delighting them.

Failing to make your customers happy is more than a shame; it’s slow-motion corporate suicide. If you want to make it in a recession-wracked market, you absolutely must create clients and customers who rave about your company. But this is easier said than done. I explore how to achieve this in my new book, And the Clients Went Wild! How Savvy Professionals Win All the Business They Want (Wiley, 2010).

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