Running a business I have the opportunity to interact with many other business owners, managers and professionals. Some complain about business being bad, but who’s to blame?

Recently I had intended to meet a business partner for lunch at a local restaurant which opened within the past year.  As they were closed for lunch I sent them an email inquiring if they still continued to serve during the lunch time.  That was over a week ago and as yet the restaurant has not responded.  As I was initially going to meet a friend there for lunch later this week, we will now dine at another restaurant.

Yesterday I brought my car in for service at the dealership where I purchased it.  The entire staff couldn’t have been more accommodating.  The service writer was superb, the salesman came over to talk with me, and the managers while on the phone, waved.  During my conversation with the salesman, we talked about business.  He said business was good last year and they had a great fourth quarter and they are waiting for the weather to break as they expect another good year.  This dealership is always communicating with their customers via Facebook and when I opened my email this morning, there was a nice note from the dealership regarding my service yesterday.

For years I would take my vehicles to a car wash which is down the road a bit.  As the owner knew there was a car wash right down the street from our Clifton Park office, he was always appreciative and each year would send me a couple of free car washes as a token of his thanks.  The business owner took on a partner in 2010 and the holiday season went by without any communication or thank you from the business.  Now I find myself using that car wash less.

While the economy may not be good, it makes it that much more important for businesses do everything in their power to properly take care of their customers.

This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.