This is a key to excellent customer service. Show customers that you are thinking about them and their needs. Something that I have done for years is to cut out articles from newspapers that may be of interest to my clients. I have one client who is a leading organic dairy farmer and manufacturer. This is an innovative field and at present there is a lot of information in the news about what goes into our food. By cutting out these articles and posting them to him, he knows that I am thinking about his business and helping him to stay in touch with world developments.
My lawyer often sends me articles about copyright law and copies of advertisements that are interesting or unusual . I always appreciate receiving these and I ring him to thank him. It is excellent public relations for his firm and it costs only a few cents to do.
Recently, I witnessed a charming example of this tip being put into practice. It was a very hot day and a woman arrived at a local cafe with a beautiful labrador and a small puppy. She tied them up outside, went inside to order a coffee, then came back outside and sat at a table. The waitress brought out the customer's coffee and a large bowl of water for the labrador and a small bowl of milk for the puppy. She wasn't asked to do this; she did it on her own initiative. The customer was very grateful (as were the dogs) for the waitress's thoughtfulness and I think it's fair to assume that this cafe has a new loyal customer.
Using your initiative to try and assist your customers and help them wherever possible is a state of mind. Poor customer service businesses tend to have staff who all appear to be wearing blinkers. It's virtually impossible to get their attention and you have to wait at the counter for the two staff to finish their discussion about the weekend's activities before you can be served, which is, of course, very frustrating.
There is a cafe in the high-rise building where my office is located. Often we hold meetings there, or have a meal, or just a quick coffee to get out of the office. The staff are excellent. Not only do they know my name and the names of all the members of my team, but they make each coffee unique and a little bit special. In the creamy froth they make shapes such as love hearts, stars, flowers or swirls. It may sound corny, but they bring the coffees to our table and explain that the hearts are for the women in the group and the flowers for the men. This always goes down well and shows that they haven't just made us coffee like every other cafe; they have made it a little special and have thought about what they are doing.
The same business delivers your lunch when you order it, rather than keeping you waiting around. It's always well packaged and several serviettes are included, neatly folded. This business has gone from a struggling enterprise to a booming, very busy and, I would imagine, very profitable cafe in a relatively short amount of time.
Let your customers know that you are thinking about them. They will be impressed.