Story update 10/23/2009: The link to the prerecorded webinar mentioned at the end of the article has been corrected.

The U.S. economy runs on service. From front-line service in transactional industries such as retail, banking, hospitality and food service, to technical support for high-tech or industrial products, service has become an increasingly important component of our economy. 

Unfortunately, customer perception of poor quality service often strikes without warning. A recent Harvard Business Review article (“What Service Customers Really Want,” September, 2009) reports that customers experiencing poor quality often stop doing business with the offending companies without warning or complaint. On average, 40 percent of customers with poor experiences do not return. Research over the years indicates that service quality contributes more to customer loss than price.

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