Organizations create their future of success with attitudes that achieve innovation, anticipation and mass customization. Manufacturing, retail, wholesale and the service sectors, in all countries, are no longer on the cusp of the "Era of the Virtual Customer," we are embroiled in the "Era of the Virtual Customer" and finding that customers can surface anytime, anyplace, and can disappear just a quickly.

Accelerated globalization and technical progress, along with a rise in demand for customized products and services creates a fierce competition in the marketplace. Small or large, your success is based on the attitudes and behaviors of you and your organization that requires you to reach beyond product quality and reliable delivery to -- a customer relationship management architecture of differentiation, partnering, problem solving, zero time delivery, savvy marketing and championship customer service. Technology will help you fully integrate into the entire fabric of your customer's business -- Speed required to not just adapt, but to have a comprehensive approach that provides seamless coordination between sales, sales force deployment, marketing, customer service, customer interaction and other "customer-touching" functions will be achieved by understanding and responding to the market mind sets in an increasingly unpredictable global environment.

New as well as old skills will prevail for success to occur in all organizations. While technology and the Internet will be a major tool that will weave and leverage the ability to integrate people and processes - maximizing relationships will result with good old traditional channels and customer centric attitudes of behavior that foster customer advocacy and nurturing the needs of your current and future customers. Here are 5 operational processes for handling the demands of your customers:

1. Savvy Marketing - Leverage technology and the Internet to bring "customer-touching" functions that will increase customer loyalty. Include functions and applications such as newsletters, interactive trainings, consultations, mentors, and timely/accurate industry news.

2. Create a customer interaction center (response center) -- Identify how to satisfy every customer with a prompt and effective response using their favorite communication channels to minimize their frustration levels with complicated technology applications.

3. Leverage your human interaction with field force automation that will ensure your customers get accurate and timely response that entail "front office" integration.

4. Strategic "BizSmarts" - Personalize and customize to meet customers expectations, including your channel partners, internal customer and suppliers.

5. Integrate a fully functional "soft skills" training program that helps your organization reduce attitudes and behavior of procrastination, minimize stress and adopt an attitude of Championship Customer Service.