Abstract
There are 3 subtle ways to stay on top of the marketing game and keep customers: keeping the "silent majority" mum, reducing the number of "orphans" and understanding the simplicity of caring. The No. 1 rule for all employees, not just those in the customer service department, needs to be to remember the silent majority. Understanding how expensive orphans, or customers who have slipped from the system, can be should be enough to add them to your strategic plan. Finally, caring, although inexpensive, requires that the company hire people who can internalize the caring, which sets those companies apart from their competitors.