Deal with complaints. If you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and position your business to reap the benefits of good customer service.

We are very excited with the roster of skaters that are coming. It's the first time New Jersey has been awarded an event of this caliber in the skating world. It's definitely important to the area because we hear all the time that there are not enough major sporting events in South Jersey. It's a great opportunity to have such an event.

Answer your phone. Get call forwarding. Or an answering service. Hire staff if you need to. But make sure that someone is picking up the phone when someone calls your business.

Be helpful - even if there's no immediate profit in it.

I am not sexually attracted to women. I would rather sleep with an ugly man than with a woman.

Don't make promises unless you will keep them. Not planning to keep them. Will keep them. Reliability is one of the keys to any good relationship, and good customer service is no exception.

Train your staff (if you have any) to be always helpful, courteous, and knowledgeable. Most importantly, give every member of your staff enough information and power to make those small customer-pleasing decisions, so he never has to say, I don't know, but so-and-so will be back at...