Marketing your business isn’t just about placing advertisements and getting your business name in front of potential customers. Good marketing follows the entire customer life cycle from the first impression to the end of the transaction. Unfortunately, some businesses fail to deliver basic customer service.

In challenging economic times such as these, companies are asking themselves how they can continue to keep a step ahead of the competition. They are considering and evaluating all parts of the customer experience to ensure the overall impression is one that customers will remember — and will keep them coming back. These companies want to ensure that employees use the most effective wording throughout the customer conversation and perhaps most importantly, at the end of the conversation.

There are word combinations that are used with little thought as to what they may be really communicating. Consider the two-word customer service phrase that is often heard in response to a “Thank you.” That word combination is “No problem.” Yet, there is not a single time when that should be deemed an appropriate response.

Does a response such as this mean that sometimes it is a problem to serve your customer? What could be said instead of “No problem”? How about using “I’m glad to be of service,” or “My pleasure. I’m happy to help.” Wouldn’t that leave a much more pleasant image of your business in the mind of that customer?

For additional marketing information, tips and tools, click here to visit the Know Marketing Guide, an ARA member benefit.