1. Customer Service - Small Shop Perspective (SIC ‘99) Chris Thornton Thornsoft Development, Inc. chris@thornsoft.com

2. Doing it all, in a small shop Leverage your web site - use FAQs, obvious posting of prices, easy and reliable online ordering - with instant gratification. Use a list server - make it easy to sign-up, integrate with ordering proces. Very hard to do this solo.

3. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS!!! Rule #1 - don’t ever say or write anything that is not in the best interests of your company. Don’t take it personally. They’re probably really nice, in real life. It’s tempting to blast them - especially when you’re your own boss. Don’t reply when angry - put it aside, and answer when you’ve cooled off.

4. Appearance Matters Get a GOOD answering machine - with multiple mailboxes - especially if you share the work with someone else. Multiple Email accounts for different roles - sales, support, webmaster, etc. Schedule quiet time to answer/return phone calls, if you have wild little kids running around.