Guy Kawasaki occasionally takes the words right out of my mouth. Actually, he just made an extremely valuable checklist for any business with an online presence – the Ten Tiny Things Every Small Business Owner Should Do in 2009

The best way to improve your customer service is to experience the frustrations of your current system yourself – from your customer’s point of view.

These ideas also apply to big businesses, which are, in fact, an amalgamation of small businesses with all sorts of customers (including internally; meaning other groups within the organization). Treat your group/gang/team/division/outlet like small business and try working with your company from the outside; try it from your customer’s point of view. And take notes.

Is your company “easy-to-do-business-with“?

  • Does the phone menu irritate you? Why?
  • Is the voice loud enough?
  • Feel the need to mash “0″ after a few seconds?
  • Was the service page easy to find?
  • Did you have to open a ticket?
  • Did the automatic reply create false hope of quick service?
  • Do you feel like someone is taking good care of you?
  • Did the customer service person fix the problem – or just closed the ticket/ended the call/cleared the e-mail?
  • Is your company “easy-to-do-business-with”?

IMPORTANT: After this, you actually have to follow through and make life easier for your customers.

The follow through part is what will make a difference, try going step-by-step and addressing one scenario at a time (Start with a common situation/problem, and map your client’s progression through your service). Define success at every step (from your customer’s point of view) and brainstorm with your team on how to get from where you are, ease-of-service-wise, to where you want your customers to feel about you.

Your clients don’t know it yet, but they’ll love you for it.

Update (July 2009): Seth Godin applies a similar reasoning for marketers, and their (in)sensitivity to customer service issues.