What companies were the biggest disappointment to you when it comes to the service they gave you…or should I say didn’t give you?  

My guess is that the disappointment centered around an expectation you had because of a promise they made.  They didn’t do what they said they would do or what you expected them.

You didn’t receive what you thought you’d receive, when you thought you’d receive it, how you thought you’d receive it, the color you thought you’d receive it, the condition you thought you’d receive it, or at the price you thought you’d pay.

In other words, they didn’t do what they promised, either implied or expressed.

Worse yet, they didn’t communicate or apologize for the mishap.  Or, even worse, didn’t make it right for you.

This is called a lack of integrity and it is the greatest cost of customer service.  It is the greatest cost because it not only cost a customer but future customers.  The likelihood that a customer who is burnt because of a lack of integrity kept it to themselves is remote.  They no doubt told everyone they know of their disappointment. 

Integrity is important, to the customer and to your reputation.  It also hits your bottom line in ways you don’t really see and can have a compound and reciprocal effect for years to come.  

Converslly, when you nurture integrity and do what you said you would do and deliverer on your promises both implied and expressed, customers become loyal and fanatic promoters of your business.