Recently, I compiled ten favorite customer service quotes for this column. These were favorite quotes from other business luminaries and thought leaders. Several people asked, “Why didn’t you include any of your quotes?” Great question! So, in my desire to give customers (and readers) what they want, here are ten favorite quotes that I’ve written.

1. “Customer service is not a department. It’s a philosophy to be embraced by everyone in every department!”

 I’ve been preaching this since the beginning of my career back in the 1980s. Customer service is something we all do, both for our outside customers and our internal customers.

2. “Do unto your employees as you want to be done unto your customers.” 

This is what I refer to as the Employee Golden Rule. Treat the people who work for you the way you want your customers to be treated. You can’t expect employees to behave differently from their bosses and leadership.

3. “What’s happening on the inside of your organization is being felt by your customers on the outside.” 

This is a great follow-up to the Employee Golden Rule. Happy employees tend to create satisfied customers. If you have an organization that focuses on its own people in the right way, it will be experienced by customers.

4. “The greatest technology in the world can’t replace the ultimate relationship-building tool between a customer and a business: the human touch.” 

Another way of saying this is, “You can’t automate a relationship.” (That’s two quotes for the price of one!) No matter how good your technology is, the customer will want to talk to a live person at some point. Make it easy and convenient, and use that interaction to elevate the customer’s confidence in your company/brand.

5. “To the customer, you are the company.” 

Many customers will say, “I love doing business with them.” Who are they? Often it is just one person, and that one person who is interacting with the customer has what I refer to as “The Awesome Responsibility.” At any given time, one person represents the entire company or brand and all of the people who work there. I often ask the audience at my speaking programs, “Are you ready and willing to accept that awesome responsibility?”

6. “Consistency doesn’t mean you never have a problem. It means your customers can count on you if there ever is a problem.” 

Nobody—and no company—is perfect. But they can excel when there are problems. You want your customers to say, “Even when there is a problem, I know I can always count on them to take care of me.” That’s the kind of consistency I want and hope for in a company.

7. “Kindness and courtesy are at the root of a positive customer experience.” 

I used different words, but the meaning is the same: Be nice! For example, you may go to a restaurant and have incredible food, but if the server and the rest of the staff are rude, you’re probably not coming back. Kindness and courtesy (being nice) are fundamental and foundational to the customer experience.

8. “Remember … No matter how good your feedback is, you always start over with the next customer.” 

No matter how good (or bad) we were with our last customer, the next interaction with the next customer is an opportunity to start over. Every customer deserves to get a renewed effort of the best you have to offer.

9. “The easier you are to do business with, the happier your customers will be.” 

Easier is about being more convenient. Customers love the convenience and will choose you over your competition if you are easier to do business with. And often, they will pay more.

10. “A brand is defined by the customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by the employees.”

 I close with this one as it brings back some important ideas mentioned in earlier quotes. It’s about the employees. The company doesn’t deliver the service and CX, the employees do. With the right attitude, the right employees must be hired, adequately trained, and empowered to deliver a fantastic customer experience.

This article has been reprinted with permission from Shep Hyken’s Forbes page.