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Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce is going to the streets in a bid to raise the quality of customer service in the region. 

The Chamber's new Customer Citation program affords customers, clients, and anyone engaged in face-to-face transactions the opportunity to "cite" the business or organization for either exemplary customer service or for suffering through a horrendous experience. 

Chamber Executive Vice President Pat Moody, architect of the program, says that, "The goal of the Customer Citation program is to raise the bar on the quality of customer service throughout the region."  Citing the destination attraction of such major new venues as Harbor Shores, Bluffside, the Four Winds Casino, and the Benton Harbor Arts District, Moody pointed to a substantial increase in visitor traffic throughout the region.  "These are people who will be visiting our communities for the very first time, and we want to make sure that customer service levels are at their very best."

Cornerstone Chamber is not a newcomer to the customer service arena, having hosted two major sessions with the Walt Disney Institute's "Keys to Excellence" programming, and collaborated with Lake Michigan College for a customized train-the-trainer program called the Quality Customer Service Culture Academy currently in the middle of it's inaugural 12-week curriculum at M-Tec.

Realizing that many businesses don't have the time or money to send mass quantities of personnel for training, the Academy is designed to provide best practices models to mid-level management personnel who then create a quality service culture within the company.

The Customer Citation program came about as a way to allow the community at-large the opportunity to set the level of customer service that they are willing to accept, and "cite" those who either fall woefully short or go far above and beyond the call of duty.

The citation program is quite simple.  Those wishing to issue a citation go to the Cornerstone Chamber website and click on a box that takes them to a dual track system where they simply select good or bad service reporting.  In addition to quickly clicking on several standard statements regarding the quality of service, the citation also requests and allows the reporter to provide the story of what happened to them. 

All citation senders are required by the Chamber to provide their name, address, phone number and the like to confirm the veracity of their ticket.  "We will only share that information with the business involved if the sender allows us to," said Moody.  "They can send the citation anonymously to the business, but the Chamber has to know that it is legitimate," he added.  In fact, as soon as the citation is complete and sent to the Chamber, an immediate verification process asks the sender if, in fact, they have sent such a report.  If they answer no, the citation is trashed.  If it is legitimate, the Chamber begins the notification process.

"It really is a win-win situation, even if the business has offended the client, because at least they know what they've done wrong," says Moody. 

The goal is not to catch people doing things wrong.  The Chamber simply wants to make sure that everyone in the retail and service sectors performs at the high end of the scale to keep visitors returning to Michigan's Great Southwest. 

A marketing campaign to be launched soon will encourage readers, viewers and listeners to "Help Raise the Bar," by logging on to www.HelpRaiseTheBar.com  That web address takes you directly to the Customer Citation portion of the Chamber's website at www.CornerstoneChamber.com.  It's a fast and easy entry to the citation program for anybody wishing to share their experiences, in a bid to raise the bar of expectations in the community.