Our customers mean the world to us. Without them, nothing else matters.

To let customers know how much they mean to us, we must have a system in place that quickly does two things: appease the customer and correct their problem.

Whenever a customer has a request for corrective action or just a concern or complaint, our customer service representatives fill out a Customer Service Action Form.

Such a form should include a few key elements to guarantee effectiveness:

* a description of the complaint

* the customer request

* the employee assigned to follow up with customer

* the resolution proposed by the employee

* the resolution that the customer agrees to

* date the resolution was completed

* signature of the customer service associate.

Just as important as the Customer Service Action Form is your attitude. When responding to a complaint, use a conciliatory tone with customers. For example, offer an instant resolution such as, "Rest assured, we are going to take care of this for you. I can offer you a $25 gift certificate, or direct you to a manager. Which is better for you?"

Of course, you need a reason for handing out the gift certificates. For example:

* late for service call/delivery without notification

* service not performed to customer satisfaction

* special-order product not received

* employee fails to follow through with customer

* lack of response to a customer's concern

* customer was charged the wrong price, or the delivery was delayed.

There are also situations where a $50 gift certificate may be appropriate. This may involve a customer problem in the field that was not fixed the first time out and the problem is not due to circumstances beyond the retailer's control (such as ordering parts, weather and the like).

Even a $50 gift certificate makes sense if it can appease a customer. An unhappy customer can easily cost a lot more, including loss of their future business and bad word-of-mouth reputation. Once you realize what you have to lose, it's obvious why giving away a few free gift certificates makes sense.

At our store, we also have several systems in place designed to nip customer problems in the bud:

* Follow-up calls to check on the customer service satisfaction level

* Pre-delivery and delivery checklists

* Follow-up calls to the customer after product delivery

* Customer return of satisfaction survey cards.

Rita Rowlen, charter member of the National Spa & Pool Institute's Retailers of Excellence program, is co-owner of Ultra Modern Pool & Patio Inc. in Wichita, Kan.