I sent a "fire and forget" email to Dyson's customer service department last week. Fire and forget as in, "I fired off the email" and then "I forgot I sent it". Their response came almost a week later, which got me thinking. What is the appropriate amount of time to respond to a customer service email?

Today was a gorgeous day in San Diego, so I went for a hike at Mission Trails.There must have been 50 to 100 people on the trail up to the top of Cowles Mountain. When I reached the top I kept going along a ridge to nearby Pyles Peak. There wasn't a single person on the trail to Pyles, but I was rewarded with better vistas, more vibrant plant life, and more active wildlife. Hiking alone on this part of the trail, I realized a few things about what sets the best companies and employees apart from the rest of the pack.

You've almost certainly heard of the online shoe retailer Zappos.com and their amazing customer service. They have an impressive 5 out of 5 rating on Epinions.com with over 16,000 customers posting reviews. Their "secret sauce" is actually a very simple employee engagement strategy, but they execute it far better than 99% of the companies out there. Zappos has built its core values around outstanding customer service and everything they do is connected to those values. Here are just a few examples:

Inc. Magazine ran a fabulous article in their January/February edition called "The ultimate business tune-up for times like these". The article quotes a wide range of business leaders who give quick-hit ideas for all of us who want to improve performance. Here are my favorite (and not so favorite) suggestions:

I know I'm not the only one to notice that Starbucks and McDonalds are starting to compete over the same customers. What's interesting to me is the customer service delimma Starbucks is apparently facing. Do they continue to appeal to more and more of the same demographic as McDonalds? Or, do they hold firm to their coffee house roots (with the power of a global brand). Is it even possible to be both?

I received a Hallmark card in the mail this week. It was in a plain blue envelope with no return address. Hmmmm.

We can learn a lot about customer service from independent service providers. Whether they are small business owners, freelance contractors, or a department of one within a company, these people make their living off the service they provide. This posting is part three of a three part series where we’ll take a closer look at some successful examples to learn how service can make a difference when you are on your own. Part three features a “individual producer” within a company.