Don't let customer service slip on a bad olive.

It can be said that customer service is, "The art of knowing what people are NOT willing to put up with, and then raising the bar a notch." Too much service and the unit cost magnifies into a weight on profits. Ironically, over-servicing can waste resources, stifling investment in other areas that could give a greater overall customer experience. However, if you under-service, your customers may desert you - as other ex Vodaphone customers will testify.

My experience of this fine line came last week with a dud batch of kalamata olives. 

We had slipped into buying supermarket fruit for the convenience. The store is open 24/7 and we seem to be there every day. What's more, the deli selection was ok, especially the olives our kids enjoy.

Enter the bad olive. That's ok, maybe it was a bad batch. So we asked the lady behind the deli counter if there was a change in brand or some explanation for the slump in quality. "Nothing's changed," she said, and turned away.

These are the tipping points that make you re-evaluate your whole relationship. So, it's back to the fresh markets for our fruit and veg and we wonder why we let ourselves fall so far.

Customers know what's good and bad about a business and they are willing to compromise. I pay more, I expect a better product or improved service. I pay less and something's going to give. Also, we tend to settle for relationships that we are comfortable with.

Consider your own business:

• What have your customers compromised to buy from you?
• Where is your bottom-line of acceptable customer service?
• What would be a nice surprise for customers – a small step above expectations?
• What is unacceptable?

These issues can help build an experience that customers enjoy and makes them feel special, while also being sustainable for your business.

So over-servicing can be a waste, and even turn off customers who don't want that experience. But get too close to that line and you are only one bad olive away from losing customers for life.

Andrew Wylie, Director of Pandemonium Creative, strategic thinkers in marketing, sales and creative.