You both hit the nail on the head with this!

With so many choices available both to individual hosters, hosting companies looking for dedicated servers, and enterprise systems looking for datacenters, the only real thing that sets anyone apart is the customer service.

I've yanked a HUGE chunk of business from a data center recently due to customer support and lack of support. Again, as Steve mentioned in another thread, it's not so much THIS MONTH's revenue that will impact, but it's the "lifetime value" of the customer.

I wonder how my "sales rep" started his Monday Morning seeing 100 high-end dedicated servers canceled over the weekend! Since April '09 they've had to resolve support issues, in August '09 I dropped the hammer for resolution - nothing done - 2 months later, buh-bye!

No customer is too small (or two big) to pick up and move equipment when needed. Just takes a little bit of coordination.

As for what makes our company unforgettable - promise 90%, deliver 110%. Go the extra mile when the customer doesn't expect it. Remember their name & situation. Follow up regularly. Answer the questions politely, and if you don't know the answer, say it - then find someone who can give you the answer (or help resolve the problem).