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Whether you are just getting ready to start a small business or you find that you are picking up steam and the orders are coming in, you'll find that with a little bit effort, you can easily top bigger businesses in the realm of customer service.

The reasons for this are clear once you give it a little thought. There is absolutely no way a large company can know all of its customers and offer them the kind of personal service that you can as a small business. Don't make the mistake of treating your customers as if you were a larger company though. Just a few simple rules can help you provide truly stellar customer service that will keep your customers coming back and recommending your product or service to others.

1. Never duck your customer.

There is nothing more annoying to deal with than someone who does not want to talk with you and will do anything to avoid it. If your customer starts thinking that he or she is getting this kind of treatment from you, you can bet that they won't be your customer for very long! If you find yourself playing phone tag with a customer, sit down and make it a point to catch their call, even if it requires some creative scheduling on your part. This is essential if you want to stay in business!

2. Be honest about your mistakes.

When a small business makes mistakes, the mistakes are often at a small enough level that the customer knows exactly why they happen and can understand it. Unlike bigger companies, where if you want to explain mistakes you have to track it through several different departments, a smaller business can simply say something like 'We didn't get the shipment when we thought we did,' or 'I ordered the wrong thing.' Don't prevaricate, tell them what you did wrong and how you are going to fix it.

3. Care about feedback

No matter what experience you had with a customer, offer them a chance to say what they think about your business and about the product or service that you provide. Even if they are angry, this can result in good feedback that will tell you about how to improve in the future. You may even find that with a little bit of work, you'll be able to talk an angry customer into a better frame of mind.

4. Know that your customers are more than just the money they pay you.

A small business can treat it's customers as who they are: individuals. Everyone prefers a personal touch to being thought of as a demographic abstraction. A large company can't really do this, at least convincingly. You however, can! Make the most of this - as a small business it's one of your biggest assets. Remember your customer's names. It's the little things that will bring you repeat business.

When you are a small business, customer service is not something that you can afford to be casual about. Make a real effort and you'll find that you'll be rewarded with customer recommendations, customer loyalty and significantly more pleasant working environment.