We now live in a world where every penny is appreciated and the throw-away attitude of the past is gone. Customer service expectations have been increasing consistently over the last four years, with 44% of consumers saying their expectations are higher than the previous year, compared to only 31%in 2008 [Forbes]. Retailers are, for the most part, stepping up and meeting the customer service challenge. Stories of follow up, hand-written notes from retailers and complimentary bottles of wine sent to rooms from hotel management are now commonplace. Service providers are realising that we are living in an extremely competitive world and it is truly dog-eat-dog when it comes to getting new business and retaining old.

The last thing however, that retailers/service providers should believe is that only the cheapest offerings will survive. Although, as I said, consumers value every cent much more so than before, that does not necessarily mean that they will always opt for the cheapest. What they will opt for, more often than not, is the best quality, the best level of service or a provider they feel connected with, simply because they want to know that they are spending their money in the best possible way with the best people.