Via David Gammel at High Context Consulting, I came across this fantastic article from Joel Spolsky called Seven Steps to Remarkable Customer Service. I really don’t know much about Joel’s company, Fog Creek Software, but if his article is any indication of what it would be like to be his customer, I’ll be giving his products a thorough review.

What’s compelling about the article itself is Joel’s way of making his points through stories. He could just say, “Here’s what you should do to create remarkable customer service,” but he goes further to give real-life examples of what works and what doesn’t work. Like the time he visited the locksmith or the time he overheard a customer complaint in a diner.

Check out Joel’s (bonus) step eight: Give customer service people a career path. Radical indeed when you consider that customer service staff are usually stuck at the bottom of the corporate hierarchy and payscale.

If your organization’s customer service needs a tune-up or a complete overhaul, take a look at how one company is changing the rules to build a better experience for it’s customers and employees.

Thanks, David.