By Dave Millhouser

"I want EVERY option youve got." . . . it was my "bus salesmans dream" come true.

Fate had plopped a nuclear power station in the middle of a small town, and the mayor was determined to spend every dime of the communitys real-estate tax windfall. Why not a big bus to tote senior citizens on trips?

Anyone can buy a coach that will knock your socks off. Modern buses offer everything from theater-style entertainment systems, to central vacuum cleaners, to the ability to shop online while rolling down the road.

Heck, the newest ones emit exhaust gases that are cleaner than the air the engine took in.

The key here is that "anyone" can buy good equipment. The only thing that seems scarcer than money today is quality service.

Many businesses require you to jump through electronic hoops to talk to a real person. Theyre only interested in volume, and anything out of the ordinary gums up the system.

If youre at all like me, youve found some stores, services, restaurants and vendors that treat you well -- and provide quality service. Youre willing to pay more for the comfort and confidence they offer.

Business is part formula, part art. If anyone (with money) can buy flashy coaches, and exercise good business practices, then why do some operators succeed, and others fail?

A smart guy could give you lots of reasons. I, on the other hand, can offer but one. Service.

Quality service is both difficult to define . . . and real. Its about relationships and understanding what a customer needs. For the most part, in our business, it doesnt cost much more to do it right. We have a small, finite group of potential customers, so we are punished quickly when we foul up.

A couple of ideas, stolen from friends, may be helpful.

You cant control the uncontrollable (obviously) but there are lots of things you CAN make happen.

For heavens sake, RETURN phone calls. Every employee should understand that customers hate not knowing. It should be policy that everyone who works for you should return every call within 24 hours -- even if it is to let them know you havent yet got an answer.

Clients can correctly assume if youre not calling them back when youre trying to sell them, you surely wont respond when theres a problem.

Look into the future. If you have a complaint you know youre going to have to address, do it now. If its going to cost you $1,000, satisfying your customer right away is an investment. Quibbling is going to ruin your chances for future business, and youre still going to pay the $1,000.

One company, after 9/11, maintained it had a right to keep deposits on cancelled trips to New York City. Most operators immediately returned deposits, and hoped for the best. The guy who didnt took a pounding in the press, ticked off key clients, and several days later DID refund the money. Talk about lose/lose.

Give your employees a reasonable amount of power to solve problems. Let drivers make decisions on the road, and have office folks handle questions and problems. Train them and then back up their decisions.

On occasions when they mess up, point it out so they dont make the same mistake again. That way you have happy customers, and a constant stream of new mistakes.

You may lose a few bucks on weak decisions but you improve your chances of keeping a customer.

Go the extra mile, add value in unexpected ways.

Hans Schoeffler, a senior executive for a major bus builder, once had a customer in desperate need of a part. Hans loaded the part into the trunk of his car and drove all night across three countries to help. (It was Europe; theyre small countries.)

Hans has since passed on but you can bet there are a ton of folks who remember him fondly. (I sure do.)

Make service a key part of your corporate culture and turn your folks loose to provide it.

Someone in your company has time to check "Lost and Found" for a passengers glasses, or call parents and tell them a bus is late. You get it.

Some customers will never be satisfied. Unload them. Theyre never going to let you (or your competitor) make money, and they suck the soul out of your people.

Dont wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pigs enjoy it. Put all that energy to work for your good customers.

Name a single company you respect that is weak on service. Price leader Wal-Mart has "Greeters" and a reputation for standing behind what it sells.

A great man once said: "He among you who would be great . . . should be the servant of you all."

My snatching ideas may have gone too far this time. The foregoing is from Mark 10:43, and I may be stealing from the wrong guy. Im toast.

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at: dave_millhouser@hotmail.com.