In today's business climate, improving customer service is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Cutthroat competition, razor-thin profit margins and an anxious public have made this an essential element of doing business.

Fortunately, providing effective customer service does not have to be costly, complicated or even overly timeconsuming. Service that pays off in satisfied customers is as much a product of common sense as anything else. Keeping that in mind, here are some practical suggestions to get the ball rolling.

• Make your company more accessible. Consider lowcost, effective ways to spread the word about your service department. For example, if your service department has a toll-free telephone number, display it prominently on your invoices, company letterhead and any other written material being sent to customers. It is even better if you can provide customers with a name (e.g., "ask for Sally or John"). The more you personalize your customer service, the better the chance of defusing an irate customer and retaining his or her business in the future.
• Keep things simple. Even pleasant sounding service representatives will begin to grate on someone's nerves if the customer has to speak to half a dozen representatives before getting help. Ideally, it should take a customer only  one or two calls to solve most problems. Eliminate unnecessary paperwork and red tape that only angers or annoys your customers.
• Give customer service people the power to make some decisions on their own. Caveat: Be sure that they have all the information available for each customer, such as what was purchased, in what quantity, for how much, how payment was made, etc. Also, service reps should be kept up-to-date about your company's products and services. As a result, besides handling returns and replacements, they may also mention similar items the customer could be interested in purchasing.
• Stay in touch afterward. Good service does not end when the customer hangs up the telephone or walks out the door. Remember, even though you may have been able to resolve someone's immediate concern, what you are really after is his or her repeat business.
• Follow up on customer complaints. Depending upon your type of operation and your budget, you can use postcards, phone calls or even in-person visits by sales reps as a way of making sure that the customer is satisfied.

Finally, the best customer service policy in the world will not do you much good unless you back up your words with action. And just one negative experience for a customer can undo all the goodwill your company has built in the past.