Category Customer Service

Comms Tips, Customer Service

Small Biz Basics: Customer Service Essentials, III — Hiring and Training

Cartoon illustration of a small boutique scene showing customer service hiring and training in action, with a young clerk offering thoughtful feedback to a customer trying on a striped polo and camo cargo pants near a fitting room.

Strong customer service hiring and training practices are what separate businesses that struggle from those that build loyal customers. From restaurants to retail shops to recreational destinations, I see the same pattern day in and day out. Customer-facing staff offer…

Jason Velázquez
April 30, 2026

Customer Service

Small Biz Basics: Customer Service Essentials, II

Barista in an apron standing in an empty café, looking concerned.

Ignoring Customer Experience — Shortcut to Failure: Why Business Owners Risk Losing Loyalty, Revenue, and Reputation When They Put Off Focus on Service.

Jason Velázquez
March 7, 2026
2 Comments

Customer Service

Small Biz Basics: Customer Service Essentials, I

“Friendly retail employee leaning on a checkout counter while assisting a customer holding a book.”

Small family and independently owned shops and restaurants can absolutely compete with the chains and big box stores — by working their strengths. In an age of automation and corporatization, the personal touch can give the little guys a chance to eat the big guys' lunch.

puddingstone_7r3265
February 7, 2026
2 Comments