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February 1, 2026                                                   (612) 382-5636
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BE RELENTLESS IN SERVING YOUR CUSTOMERS
They Pay Your Salaries
By John Tschohl

If you are going to be relentless in serving your customers, you must first understand the meaning of that word. Relentless is an obsession with providing exceptional service to your customers. It’s a propulsive, self-directed passion to continue to learn, to improve, and to consistently exceed expectations in everything you do—and it never stops.

I have two rules for being relentless. The first is to serve the customer. The second is, when in doubt, see rule number one. Serving your customers must be a belief and commitment that is shared by everyone in your organization—from the front line to the board room. It’s about making extraordinary customer service a central strategy for your company.

Why is being relentless so critical? Because it builds an organization’s bottom line and its long-term growth prospects. It’s your path to success, and it should be a way of life for your organization going forward. It can’t be an add-on; it has to be part of your organization’s culture.

Let me give you an example of relentless customer service. A man left his checkbook on the desk of a customer service representative at Metro Bank London. When that employee noticed it, he called the customer, who said he would stop in the following morning to pick it up. The employee said he would deliver it to the customer, even though it was then 8 p.m.

The customer said he was at a nearby pub with 10 friends. The employee delivered the checkbook, and the customer sent him an email the following morning saying that his friends were so impressed with the bank’s service that they were all going to open accounts at the bank. This a perfect example of how being relentless not only keeps your current customers but also attracts new customers—and their money.

Service recovery is a key element in being relentless. When a customer has a complaint, you should do everything possible to quickly solve the problem and keep that customer coming back to you. You can’t do that unless you empower your employees by giving them the authority to make decisions in favor of your customers. You must train all of your employees and trust them to do what’s necessary to keep those customers. That includes compensating customers for any problems they have with your products or services.

All too often, managers and executives fear their employees will “give away the store,” if they’re empowered to make decisions when customers have complaints. An empowered employee might give a disgruntled customer a $50 rebate. That’s a small investment when you consider that that satisfied customer will spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars with you in the future.    

Another important key to being relentless is to use technology at every level to smooth the point of entry for the customer and to quickly connect them with the products or services they need. Amazon is a prime example of combining technology with personal contact to keep and attract customers. Do everything you can to make it easy for customers to do business with you. Remember this: The best way to sell is to make it convenient to buy.

Being relentless in serving your customers will increase your income stream and forge your path to success. Everything you do must revolve around the conviction that customers rule. You must put their needs at the forefront of everything you do. 

For more information on John Tschohl and the Service Quality Institute,
visit www.customer-service.com.