[Don]

Without taking sides in this situation, a few thoughts:

* The Public Affairs/Relations professionals will most always recommend to take charge of the situation by immeadiately ending the discussion on a positive note. Might not be correct in one of the parties eyes, but is there more damage on a long term basis to reputations, future business, etc that could be created ......won the battle but lost the war. Had Senator Kerry decided to immediately end the controversy, would the recent incident gone away rather than become the topic which has filled the newscasts over the past few days. Privately, may not have agreed, but better to move on rather than keeping the story alive.

In business, reviving a hard earned, long term postive reputation is extremely difficult, when a single incident , with or without merit, gets all the press.

* The WSJ had a recent section on " Customer Service " One of the points mentioned is the " experience " in total. not just individual points such as how quickly the phone was answered. From the WSJ:


Traditionally, many businesses have defined customer service with a simple mantra: "The customer is always right." Got a problem? We'll fix it.

But over time, customer service has evolved. Deferential treatment is still part of the relationship, but in an increasingly competitive marketplace, many businesses aren't waiting for their customers to make a complaint or have a query. They're doing their best to figure out what the customer wants and to provide it before any questions or problems arise.

"Customer service can be defined in lots of different ways," says Chris Denove, a vice president at J.D. Power & Associates, the McGraw-Hill Cos. unit that conducts customer-satisfaction surveys. "It's being broadly defined more and more as the voice of the customer."