All of our lives seem to be driven by technology.

For business, technology has become a wonderfully efficient customer service tool. Email, Twitter, Facebook, the humble telephone, iPhone and iPad apps are being used to keep in touch with customers on a regular basis.

But I wonder if its gone too far and it’s time to go back to treating customers like a human and not just an email account.

Research shows that a hand written letter is 50 times more powerful than receiving the same words in an email or electronically.

I’m not saying forget technology all together. I’m saying lets keep a balance.

. Instead of using technology to push information out to customers, use to receive their feedback and make them feel like a member of the team rather than a customer.

Don’t use technology to just “push” your message, use to “receive” feedback from customers and for you to respond quickly to show you care.

. Be humble when dealing with customers.

Use warm, approachable words which are honest rather than scrambling it up with corporate mumbo-jumbo.

There’s a famous story about Domino’s Pizza in the US which admitted to customers in an advertising campaign that their pizzas were “lacklustre”. They told it the way it was and how the customers were thinking.

They could have just come out with the old “new and improved” corporate line but they didn’t. They were humble and approachable and they won lots of Brownie points.

. Give a little and gain a lot.

If a customer has a problem with a product and service, it’s better to be over generous in working it out than playing tough.

Most customers are fearful when they have a complaint. They are apprehensive about confrontation and dealing with that possibility. They are often prepared for the worst and they’re anxious.

When they have a good experience their loyalty zooms and they tell others.

. Reward creative problem solving by staff.

While you may have the right idea in dealing with customers, that message has to be part of the culture of your front line staff.

Give those staff the power to sort a problem quickly, generously and with good grace. Above allencourage and reward staff who handle these issues the best.

. Always say “sorry”

Nothing defuses a situation more than a simple “sorry”. It changes the situation immediately. It says, hey I’m human too and I understand where you’re coming from.

What all of this boils down to: Treat others as you wish to be treated.

My father always had a great saying… “it’s better to choke a horse with sugar rather than shit. There are billions to be made just from being nicer -- or at least not being a jerk.