In today's tough economy, ensuring that your customers' service experience is warm enough is critical to bringing them back for more. Evaluating the temperature of the experience you provide for customers focuses on the "warmth" of that experience.

For example, my wife and I were traveling on a recent Sunday evening after watching one of our children play soccer in North Carolina. I suggested we stop for dinner prior to 10:00 p.m. just to make certain we could find a good place after a long day of travel. Around 9:30 p.m. my wife called around to find a place that was still open. The gentleman answering the phone at the Longhorn Steakhouse at exit 74 on I-85 assured her they were open, suggested we take our time and promised her they would be waiting for us even if we arrived a bit after their 10:00 p.m. closing time.

In customers' eyes, the people they interact with represent the organization's commitment to the customer experience.

We were warmly welcomed to the restaurant and seated immediately; one of only two tables occupied at that late hour. Stephen our server approached to welcome us, take our drink order and reinforce their desire to serve us. The food was great and the service warm as well as outstanding. Stephen was a superb service professional and made sure we had a fantastic experience.

When I was a kid I used to construct a "phone line" using a long string with an empty bean can on either end. The coolest use of the "phone" was from tree to tree. When you spoke right into the bean can, the sound carried over the string to be heard by the ear in the can on the other end. We could tell smutty jokes and trade secrets without parental eavesdropping. Now, we have Twitter between "trees." And, all your friends can have a string connected to your "bean can."

Customers want connections that are personalized and specific.

Organizations are trying to figure what to make of Twitter and how to capitalize on this social media. Since they can "listen in" on the "crowdalogue," some treat it as tool to monitor "chatter" hopefully revealing customer issues and interests. Some are using it as an early warning device actually intervening to right a service wrong in the making. But, few are tapping into the real Twitter anthropology—the bean can side.