Want to make your customers fall in love forever?

Apologize for (and fix) problems that they didn’t even know existed. The term for this is proactive customer service.

Most companies bury problems. They ignore them or hide them — and hope nobody notices. And you know what? Most companies suck.

Great companies own up to their problems, take responsibility, and fix them happily. Even when customers never knew about the problem. The best companies proactively share what happened — and make it right — even to customers who never complained.

Here’s a stellar example from American Express, who sent me a letter and $25. It was a complete surprise.