Trying to resolve a business problem in person or by telephone today has become a daunting task for most of us.  Customer service is something that we experience on a daily basis with experiences ranging from outstanding to Horrendous.  To begin to understand expected outcomes of a good experience we must first understand what customer service means to most people. 

Here are definitions in use today of customer service from Customer Service Magazine:

• Customer service is the ability to provide a service or product in the way that it has been promised
• Customer service is about treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.
• Customer service is an organization’s ability to supply their customers’ wants and needs.
• Customer Service is a phrase that is used to describe the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner.
• Customer Service is any contact between a customer and a company, that causes a negative or positive perception by a customer.
• Customer service is a process for providing competitive advantage and adding benefits in order to maximize the total value to the customer.
• Customer Service is the commitment to providing value added services to external and internal customers, including attitude knowledge, technical support and quality of service in a timely manner.
• Customer service is a proactive attitude that can be summed up as: I care and I can do.