Top Takeaways:  -      People can steal your ideas or create the same products. What they can't take away is the level of service and relationships you've built with your customers. -      Everybody has customer service. You can win by focusing on creating connections and building relationships with your customers at a higher level than others. -      You can coach people on the technical aspects of the job. But, having empathy is something one just has or doesn't have. -      Customer service starts with leadership. Leaders create the service vision and hire the right people to carry it out. -      When hiring someone, let them interact with other people in your business. You can tell a lot about a person by how they talk to other people that are not from a high-level position within your organization. -      Leaders need to participate in the onboarding process and set the tone of the business' culture.  -      Service aptitude is a person's ability to exceed expectations. It comes from 1) Life experiences 2) Previous work experience 3) Current job experience. Teach your employees about your own culture of service. -      Figure out what makes your business stand out. You can have the same product or service as your competition but if you can out-service them, you will always win. Quotes:  "No matter what business you are in, it is extremely competitive. The only way to stand out is by delivering an outstanding service." About:  Hank Ebeling is the founder of H4 Training and author of Crushing the Competition with Service: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Delivering Outstanding Customer Service & Customer Experience. Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices