What's the sweetest sound to our ears? Hundreds of studies over decades have proven it's our name.  We, as a society, love to hear it over and over.  Most human beings actually smile when they hear it. In today's retail environment it is seldom heard.  Surprising, when you consider that we have a greater opportunity than our parents or grandparents to know our customer's name without having to do anything! Place a order online, and the reply comes back "DEAR CUSTOMER..." or no salutation at all!  People are now paying by credit or debit cards more frequently and they hand it to us!  In a worst-case scenario, we may have to speak to the customer and ASK them what their name is! If you want to make an immediate, sustainable impact to your customer loyalty, start using their name at every chance you get.  Some of our clients make a game out of it, awarding a "gold star" to whichever employee uses the most customer's names in a shift.  Even better, encourage your employees to be the first to recognize a customer and use their name to earn the star.  And you, as the owner or manager, should know the most! For other ideas to improve the level of customer service you provide or to build customer loyalty, check out our other posts.  You may also want to check out our other websites for ServiceQuality.US or The Service Quality Department.