It is unlikely that you set customer policies and firm scheduling criteria when you began shoeing. Any work was welcome and uncomfortable conditions did not cause you great concern. However, as you established yourself and developed your skills you probably began to notice (and become more irritated with) less than ideal working conditions and customers. We have a few ideas for those of you in the early stages of your career and perhaps some of you who have “been around.”
A successful commitment to customer service requires some planning. There is no doubt you have to be quick on your feet in dealing with your customers but you can’t overlook the advantages of thorough planning. In the early stages of this planning you need to develop an information base. This can be a basic journal or notebook done manually, or a simple database on a computer system. The computers and software in the market today are relatively easy to work with and can make it much easier to keep your information base current. They also provide options for improving your customer service by allowing you to do mailing labels, form letters and other communication functions.
