3. Don't set 'maximum' standards for customer interaction
This is where many organizations fail in delivering predictable success to their customers: they produce excellent guidelines, but then implement them in such a way that they actually get between the customer and the company.

It's vital that the customer guidelines are used solely as a starting point for your people when they are interacting with customers, not as the end point (if you've ever had an experience with a surly airline representative who will barely look you in the eye as he quotes 'company policy, you'll know exactly what I mean). This means communicating clearly and frequently to everyone in the organization that you expect them to use their personality, initiative and creativity to enhance customer actions beyond - way beyond - what your guidelines lay down. Oh, - and if you have problems with your people using their personality, initiative and creativity - then you have a deeper issue than customer interaction - you need to retool your hiring process.

Bonus point: If you sell to consumers (as opposed to business-to-business), get familiar with social media. Your customers are talking everyday on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and countless other online locations. That conversation is going on, with or without you. If you don't know how to effectively participate in those areas, ask your teenage nephew or niece to help you - you'll be amazed what it will do to extend your 'line of sight' into your customers needs.

Les McKeown is a writer, speaker, consultant and President & CEO of Predictable Success(R), an organizational development consulting firm based in Marblehead, MA. He is the author of Retaining Top Employees, The Complete Guide to Mentoring and Coaching, The Complete Guide to Orientation & Re-Orientation. For more on employee retention, visit Les' Retention Secrets website.