"Positive people power is fundamental to overall success of any business." This simple message is at the core of the book, Hug Your Customers, by Jack Mitchell -- a work that is now celebrating its 10th anniversary, but contains ideas for customer service that are timeless. Jack Mitchell and family own the most successful independent retail stores in the country, Mitchells of Westport. He fosters a culture of niceness with his customers and his employees, who are the subject of his second book, Hug Your People.
"Hugging" is Jack Mitchell's metaphor for bringing humanity back into the workplace, not necessarily through touch but by getting to know, pay attention to and being curious about those we do business with by taking the time to learn what matters to them.