Even a week after the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, I think I'm now just getting my breath back! We have to give credit to our friends north of the border for doing such a great job. Too bad we had to lose that hockey game — if you missed the gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada, you missed out on what was probably the finest hockey ever played.

Special congratulations go to our local athletes: Lindsey Vonn, Sarah Schleper and Chris Del Bosco. They helped keep Vail's name in the forefront of the action. Thanks to their great efforts and success, it seems that every time the TV came on, Vail was being mentioned, and that is a very good thing for all of us. We couldn't have asked for any greater ambassadors for our community.

With only six more weeks to go in this year's ski season, it's important to make sure we continue down the path of great customer service all the way to the end of the season and into the summer.

As I hope you are aware, the Vail Chamber & Business Association joined the Vail Valley Partnership and Vail Resorts to bring “Service to the Power of You” to Vail. The seminar was a prerequisite for the merchant pass program but was available to all member businesses.

I would like to share with you a recent e-mail I received from program presenter Shep Hyken and his Ten more Reasons to Deliver Amazing Customer Service:

• Do it because it is the right thing to do! We like our clients and do this because we want to help them, not just because we want to make a profit. If we give good service, the profit will take care of itself.

• Amazing customer service requires a helpful attitude which spills over to co-workers, making the work environment a positive, friendly one.

• Amazing customer service provides an excellent way to focus on what your customers believe your unique sales position is.

• Amazing customer service allows a better communication with your customers to get feedback and improve products and services, therefore protecting future growth.

• A dissatisfied customer who feels that you made things right will be one of the most powerful customer evangelists you can have. In contrast, a dissatisfied customer will spend at least as much effort to discredit your company.

• Amazing customer service means taking ownership of a service issue and seeing the issue through to resolution. This creates a continuity of service for the client that builds confidence, corporate knowledge and responsibility for the client service representative.

• Great customer service leads to profitable teaming arrangements. For example, business partners want to be on your team when pursuing a project or new customer.

• Great customer service creates an environment for employees to be proud of their work, thereby resulting in employee retention.

• Customer service is important for our internal customers (coworkers) as well as our external customers.

• Amazing customer service allows sales people to have a greater advantage of selling against the competition.

To learn more great customer service information, visit Shep's website at www.hyken.com or www.TheCustomerFocus.com

The Vail Chamber & Business Association is the leading business advocacy group in Vail and is a communications outlet for businesses that want to have a voice in community affairs. To learn more about the Vail Chamber and what it has to offer, contact us at 970-477-0075 or e-mail info@vailchamber.org. Based in Vail Village, our office is in the transportation center and our doors are open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 p.m. Stop by and say hello!

Richard tenBraak is Executive Director of the Vail Chamber & Business Association.