Outstanding customer service has become especially important in today’s rough economy. Those companies who haven’t quite mastered the skill have felt heavy consequences. All of this may seem common sense, but the place to which some companies are looking for guidance may surprise you.

When trying to improve their current financial condition, Macy’s discovered that nearly all of their customer complaints referenced poor service. In fact, many past customers were boycotting the store because of negative experiences. The company decided they had to take swift and drastic actions in order to rectify the situation. Terry Lundgren, Chairman and Chief Executive of Macy's said that they are now undergoing a "cultural shift." In order to compete with Nordstrom and other department stores the company had to implement new employee training programs. They’ve also adopted a few widely used phrases to ensure that the customer feels appreciated. They’ll discover if these changes are making an impact at the end of this fiscal year, but company exec’s are hopeful.

Delta Airlines faced a similar problem with customer service, so they sent their agents to customer service school. Charm school is no longer just for unruly teenagers and wealthy debutantes, businesses stand to gain from instilling proper manners and communication skills within their employees With this programing Delta Airlines hopes to better improve the satisfaction level of their customers, and hopes to pull themselves out of some serious debt. But how can you improve your company’s customer service without dishing out some serious funds for employee education?

Carmine Gallo of Forbes Magazine may have an answer which pleases you- take a business trip to Disneyland. I have to agree that Disney never fails to provide excellent customer service, here are some basic tips which I found helpful from Gallo’s article. First and foremost make sure your company is "show ready," make sure your company and employees are well kept and well versed, especially pay attention to detail, little things make a big difference. Second, be "assertively friendly," this is crucial to making the customer feels important. Take an active role in making sure the customer feels comfortable. Don’t wait for a customer to come to you with a complaint, avoid the creation of that complaint altogether, that is certainly what Macy’s and Delta Airlines are aiming to do. Gallo gives the example of Disney’s birthday program. They provide guests visiting on their birthday with a badge, and employees greet them with a personalized birthday greeting. These little steps can make a big difference in the probability of customers returning. Lastly, and most importantly, make sure your employees know how to be effective communicators. This may take some training. It is a part of each employees job to know as much as possible about the company. If a customer has a question that employee should be able to answer it, and if it’s too technical they should know who to refer the question to. The longer a customer has to wait for a response the less likely they’re going to give you their business.

Disney has mastered all of these skills, and if your company does so, they too will increase the likelihood of their success. So if you want to see great customer service in action, step away from your desk for a day and travel to the wonderful world of Disney.