I just returned from my annual business retreat. This year we decided to go to Costa Rica. We wanted to experience the world class whitewater rafting. What I didn’t expect was that we would also experience world class customer service.

The driver who took us to and from the airport, activities and the host of restaurants in between, demonstrated extraordinary customer service by ensuring that we all were fully catered to. The guides for the whitewater rafting checked in regularly to make sure we were completely happy. Same with the waiters and bartenders. Even the maids. Everyone, almost automatically, checked to make sure that we were one hundred percent satisfied.

Great customer service isn’t just doing your best for your customer. It’s ensuring that the customer feels they experienced the best. And, as I learned from the Costa Ricans, it doesn’t require satisfaction surveys or anything of the type. It simply requires an occasional, subtle check-in to make sure the customer is one hundred percent satisfied.