But in these super-charged, 24/7 information-overload times, more often it’s the personal experience rather than the professional review that tells us what’s worth our money. I was recently planning a birthday dinner for a friend, talking to a colleague over coffee about her new restaurant, when a young man at the next table leaned over and said, “Don’t go there! The food is overcooked or too cold. The staff ignores you and it’s way overpriced.”

Amused, I thanked him and figured he’d had a bad experience, as a high-end restaurant couldn’t be that bad. But it was. Even worse, the manager was unsympathetic when I mentioned the problems. Multiply my experience, and the young man’s, by dozens of others, all with Twitter and Facebook friends, and you know how far our no-star ratings could spread. Kudos from your professional colleagues are great, but have you checked with your customers to see if they rate your service as five-star value?

How do you ensure that your customers think your product or service is top-notch?

This self-service practice, seemingly everywhere, saves money for the companies who pay fewer employees to deal with customer concerns, but what does it do for customers? “I went into a store where I’ve shopped for years and found new management,” a busy woman said. She’d stopped in, planning to buy a baby gift for a friend having twins, but she couldn’t find what she wanted and none of the employees offered to help. “I finally left because the manager was too busy talking on her cell phone to answer my questions,” she said.

This scenario could be repeated in any chain store coast-to-coast, with profits up and customer service scarce. “But we take care of the customers in my business,” you say. Can you anticipate what a customer may want or recall a service you provided a year ago? The gap between saying you value your customers and demonstrating how you value them is the difference between the customer who migrates elsewhere and the one who takes to heart the notation “we heart our customers.”

What new ways can you show your customers their value?

Of course the experts who haven’t been “out there” have wacky ideas on standing out. One newscaster reminded job hunters to “wear a clean shirt” and “share your experiences about backpacking in the Amazon.” Wait, let’s write that down!

An enterprising job seeker had a better method. The company he’d targeted needed to launch a quarterly newsletter, but they’d left the post open for a year. “I’ll show you how I’d do it if you’ll give me a tryout,” he said. Dubious, the hiring manager agreed to the audition and was instantly impressed. The job seeker showed his immediate worth, drafting a newsletter format and suggesting ways to promote it. His bold move showed the company the value of its newsletter idea – which was upgraded to a weekly edition – and the value of having someone experienced to handle it.

“Show me the money,” Jerry Maguire yelled. More likely, show me the value…of a product, a service, or a better way to go. Your employees illustrate that every day.

Have you paused lately to consider and comment on their value, for the moment and for the future?

“Priceless” – meaning you can’t put a dollar value on it – can apply to everyday experiences, too, from a double rainbow in the summer sky to a brilliant idea for making your business more efficient. Not every idea qualifies as priceless, but the flow of ideas and opinions is an asset no credit card can pay for. When a customer seeks you out with an idea for something he’s thought about, it demonstrates how much he not only values your service but wants to see you do better. An employee’s suggestion tells you she’s thinking on, and off, the job.

You may need to streamline and tweak the ideas you’re offered before putting them into practice, or you may find them naive or impractical for your business. No matter. The value of input by those paying attention to what you do is indeed “priceless.”

What ideas are you hearing that will keep customers, employees, and you smiling?

If value is intangible, especially in business, the memory of value is even more elusive, but is the key to success. A returning customer recalls that he’s been treated well and values the ease of today’s transaction. In a crazy-busy world, the value of that reassurance beats any treasure on Antiques Roadshow. How do your customers rate their repeat experiences with your business?

She plunged ahead with a small but bright storefront sandwiched between two offices. Her grand opening brought a huge crowd, virtually all out-of-towners. She’d invited her online customers for a special weekend of shopping and fun, and had issued invitations months earlier, even arranging for hotel and restaurant discounts, offering those merchants discount vouchers for her business in return.

The bustling crowd created a buzz and curious local shoppers stopped in, too. The shop was a go, a companion to her virtual store. Even when faced with predictions of negativity, she’d stayed true to her vision. With long-term prep and a touch of imagination, her perseverance paid off.

When a new idea for improving customer service draws thumbs down from those around you, can you try another angle? Then go for it! Your own instincts are the best map for staying the course.

But they had, and not by luck or timing but sheer, repetitive effort. Their savvy coach worked the players so hard, their resentment and desire to “show him” helped them jell into a team. Pride pushed them to display ever-greater effort. Fine tuning their game plan, they didn’t consider the possibility of defeat because they were staying on point, building on each day’s efforts. After the thrill of beating the Soviet team, they remained focused, with a single opponent remaining between them and the gold medal. (Impress your friends by knowing this answer: After beating Russia, the US team beat Finland for the gold!) Their remarkable feat remains unmatched. Today, those former players still cite pure perseverance as the key to their success.

When your customer service efforts seem to be going nowhere, do you refocus like an Olympian on your goal of a better connection? It can be closer than you think.

“That was the story that killed so many magazines,” the author recalls. Every time she sold it to another publication, hopeful that her clever prose would finally appear, it didn’t. Magazines, struggling in a tough economy, dropped fiction pages or ceased publishing. Wondering if perhaps her character was a bit too outrageous, she kept trying. Eventually the story did run in a small magazine. It featured a tall, red-headed private detective who moonlights as a Boston cab driver, plays volleyball and blues guitar, and is in love with a mysterious businessman. Carlotta Carlyle, the offbeat P.I., may have been a tough sell, but she instantly appealed to readers and became the star of Linda Barnes’ ongoing series of mystery novels. Even when a thread of doubt crept in, the author trusted her instincts and stuck with her idea.

When you’re focused on customer service, does uncertainty change your course of action or are you dedicated to letting your own ideas shine?

Twice a week she placed friendly phone calls.”Remember me? I’m ready to sell for you,” she’d say, gently reminding them of her interest. “Eventually you’ll need an ad sales rep, and I really want that job.” It took three months of persistent reminders, but one publisher, impressed by her persistence, created an opening for her. By persevering, the saleswoman got what she wanted.

Sometimes you just have to try and keep trying. If a situation didn’t work, did you ask what would fix it? A healthy dose of perseverance can turn around a not-so-happy customer and keep the current ones smiling.

What kinds of things can you do to persevere in today’s marketplace?

We may have outgrown the teacher handing out cards and pridefully counting up how many we got, but come February 14, the Valentine’s Day spirit is still in play. This year, how will you remind customers to be your Valentine?

• Send a special email greeting with Valentine’s Day wishes, perhaps including a coupon or voucher to use later.
• Got a storefront or other display opportunity? Make the most of it, with hearts, flowers and an invitation to customers to stop by for a Valentine’s Day treat, hot cider, cookies or chocolates from a satiny heart-shaped box.
• Go old-fashioned and make the Post Office proud: Snail-mail vintage-look Valentine cards to customers, pledging traditional service with contemporary attention to detail.

Connecting with customers any day is good business. But on the day when hearts are open to happy reminders of childhood friendships sealed with a simple, comical card, your thoughtfulness will make the connection, and the customer service, a heartfelt one.

What kinds of things can you do in your business on Valentine’s Day to let your customers know you care?