While pondering how to explain the importance of preparing your employees for customer service and being in touch with your staff, I thought about a situation that happened in my office.

I bought into the idea that we should treat others as we want to be treated, and I included that concept into employee training. But many years ago, the concept backfired on me.

I hired Tina, a young woman who had just graduated from travel school and appeared eager to work. During training, I reminded her that she would succeed if she could remember that we always want the best for ourselves and to deal with the customer in a like manner.

She wholeheartedly agreed with me. She started out as an assistant to the senior travel agents. After a couple if months, she started booking clients on her own. One day I was sitting at her desk discussing the travel arrangements of a client when the receptionist called her on the intercom and told her that Mr. X's secretary needed to speak to her right away Mr. X was the CEO for a major corporation and long time client of great value to our company.

I sat at her desk while Tina took the call. She gave the secretary flight times and schedules to Chicago and then started to give the secretary prices. After a short pause I overheard Tina tell the secretary that if Mr. X didn't like the prices she had quoted he could always get to his destination by Greyhound bus.

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't believe she had suggested such a thing, and especially since we didn't sell bus tickets. I whispered to put her call on hold for a minute.

"What do you think your are doing?" I asked her. She said, "I'm merely letting him know that there is a cheaper way to travel to Chicago since he didn't like the air fares." I told her that Mr. X always wants the lowest airfares and he never likes the fares he hears but he flies nonetheless.

I then reminded her that she should always offer the client the best, as she would want for herself. She looked at me in wide-eyed amazement and said, "That's exactly what I'm doing. I've never been to Chicago in my life and I would be delighted to go there anyway I could and that would include taking a Greyhound bus."

Tina searched the computer to find a lower fare and returned to her call informing the secretary that a later flight departure would result in saving the company a few dollars. It became clear to me that my formula would need to be revisited.

I learned that day that "the best" is a relative term offering a different meaning for each person. If I wanted the client to have the best, I would have to spell out in explicit detail what that meant.

Revisit your employee-training manual, double check the terms you use to convey your messages to staff. It could make all of the difference in the world.

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