Last week, I did what most sons across Canada did: I ordered flowers for my mother. Needless to say there were some issues with my order, from late delivery to bouquet quality. Instead of boring you with all of the details, let’s talk about the outcome.

After telling several people about my experience over the weekend, it lead me to an obvious conclusion that I believe some organizations are missing all together – quality customer service is of vital importance to the success of a brand.Given that the economy is currently in a recession, companies should be doing everything in their power to ensure that their service is top notch.A positive experience with a brand can go far – moreover a company that resolves any customer issues or complaints effectively can go even further.A classic example of this is, of course, Tylenol or more recently Maple Leaf.

Negative word of mouth and mouse can quickly impact brand perception. People in general are quick to complain, and welcome hearing other people’s stories to avoid being caught in similar circumstances. Given the power and reach of social media and forums, such stories can spread quickly and have a devastating impact on a brand.

So what can companies do to avoid being the subject of a negative customer service story?

Listen to your customers.

Active listening online and offline can help your organization to identify any negative issues and quickly resolve them. Similarly, you can listen to what customers are saying about your competition and make sure you don’t make the same mistakes.Lastly, you can monitor what your company is doing right and use that information in the information of future programs or initiatives.

Actively listening to consumers enables companies to continuously improve upon the quality of their customer service and ultimately increase consumer retention.

Consumers are speaking their minds.Are you listening?