The Golden Rule of Marketing When determining what your customer service policy should be, do unto others as...well, you know the rest.

Don't ask your customers to do what you wouldn't do. Forinstance, would you wait an hour for tech support? Would you send aletter to get your statement adjusted? Neither would yourcustomers. Make it easy for them to do business with you orthey'll do business somewhere else.

This philosophy hit home with the owner of a large furniturestore who had to wait an entire day for the delivery of his newcomputer system at his home. He asked for an approximate time ofdelivery, but all he got was "Sometime on the 12th." Hewas steaming by the time it arrived, and as a result, he vowed tonever make his customers wait at home for more than a two-hourperiod. He even promises that his delivery people will call whenthey're within a half hour of arrival.