By Gladys Edmunds for USA TODAY  What is customer service? That was the discussion that I listened to between two hair stylists a few months ago at the hair salon. One said that even when you don't feel like it, schmoozing the customers was excellent customer service. The other said that schmoozing a customer was nothing more than "kissing up" and he refused to stoop to such levels.  After about 30 minutes of the debate, the schmoozer, whom we will call Isaac, decided to get a second opinion. That's when he asked me what I thought.  When I told Isaac that giving people false compliments was not considered customer service, he was surprised. I then told the other guy that offering a compliment when one was due was not "kissing up."  Isaac pointed out that his shop was always full and he was certain that it was because he made the customers feel good, whether telling the truth or not. He said that people, especially women, like to hear a constant flow of compliments. Since I have been going to this salon off and on for some time, I knew that Isaac had his head in the sand. I suggested he check his records to make certain that he was actually gathering new customers on top of his long-time customers. I knew that his research would be an awakening for him, especially since most of the folks I knew had long stopped going to his salon.  When I went back to the shop weeks later Isaac told me that to his amazement he found most of his customers of two years ago were not his customers today. He also learned that most of his new customers were there because of the new stylist that had been hired. "What is wrong?" he asked me. "I thought that I was providing good customer service."  Without studying Isaac's business it's difficult to say exactly what the problem is. But I have been to his shop enough times to have noticed several things that would chase customers away: the chairs are uncomfortable, I rarely can get in and out in less than three hours and his employees are not the most pleasant. A customer needs more than false compliments to keep coming back.  From time to time it's a good idea to take a look at customer flow. Are you building a business or like Isaac, just replacing new customers for those lost? Have you taken a close look at your operation to make certain that you are giving your customers the best for their money? I don't care what anyone says, customers and clients are the most important thing to a company. Without a strong customer base you have no business.  Take a look at your business to be certain you are building a business that works for both you and your customers. The life of your business depends on it.  Gladys Edmunds' Entrepreneurial Tightrope column appears Wednesdays. Click here for an index of her columns. As a single, teen-age mom, Gladys made money doing laundry, cooking dinners for taxi drivers and selling fire extinguishers and Bibles door-to-door. Today, Edmunds is founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh and author of There's No Business Like Your Own Business, a six-step guide to success published by Viking. Her website is www.gladysedmunds.com. You can e-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com.  You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference.
The economy generated jobs at a noticeably faster pace in January, the government said Tuesday in a further sign that the labor market may be turning the corner.