This is such a magical time of year. We get to hang up the stockings, set up the tree, and growl at the string of lights that somehow managed to get tied in a knot for the umpteenth year in a row. Everything receives a splash of color, an infusion of joy that illuminates us all for the entire season. Everyone cheerfully raises a glass while quoting Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone." All of us tend to be more gracious, more generous than at any other time of the year, which is why Christmas is called the season for giving.

My question is why do we have a single season (which is actually only a month) for giving? Shouldn't we be giving year-round? If a company was generous with their customers for only one month out of the year, how long would that company remain in business?

As business owners, we need to be generous with our customers, not only for survival's sake but also because it is the right thing to do. When a customer approaches us with a problem, they should be treated like family for without them we would go nowhere. The customer is our reason for existing at all, so we need to show our appreciation as often as possible which means we not only need a great product, but we need to have a superior customer service for when things are perfect and when things go wrong. For some lessons on excellent customer service, we can look to one of the top icons of the Christmas season-Santa Claus.

Santa truly is an amazing individual. He reads every letter he receives (remember, there are six billion people on the planet so that's a lot of mail). He pays attention to every request made and tries to honor as many of them as he can. He also keeps track of all six billion of his clients; whether they are sleeping or awake, naughty or nice (*note: I am not advocating spying on customers). He works hard all year round and then works over-time to make sure every gift is delivered on time, meaning every gift delivered to the right individual in the right house before they wake-up. The man bends over backwards to get the job done and he does it all with a jolly laugh and a twinkle in his eye.

Santa's customer service is definitely astounding and we would all do well to learn from him, seeing as he has been loved for centuries. Nonetheless, he still leaves us all wondering how he does all that he does with such precision and success.

I know others have their own theories but..... I think Santa has PhaseWare's customer service software.