My daughter bought a new printer, plugged it in, turned it on, and it... worked. She was so surprised that she called to tell me. Now, granted she has a Mac which explains much but why is it such a surprise that a computing device just works? Shouldn't things work by default? Are your customers surprised when their experience isn't painful?

Likewise customer service. I've become an incredible procrastinator; I avoid interacting with any vendor in any form other than on the web. Calling their support or visiting the store is just too painful--it's just too time-consuming. I had a billing problem with my phone service for 18 months. It was only $5 a month and I figured I was ahead. Even now they have no idea why I canceled nor have they attempted to find out. No follow-up call; no email inquiry.

And then there's my son's Volkswagon GTI. The windows fell off when he was driving. The windows... fell... off. The dealer said, "Yeh, that happens sometimes." That happens sometimes?!?!? Good grief. While they fixed the VW they loaned us a Toyota; we liked it so much that we bought a Camry.

The contract isn't the end of the deal. The deal isn't done until the customer is satisfied. A loyal customer is our ultimate objective. Jim Foxworthy will be exploring this idea in more depth in his webinar on January 31.