City Centre Manager Melvyn Teare writes each week about issues and activities in St Albans and this week he looks at customer care.

IN business we are always looking to identify how we can increase sales and we can come up with a whole range of whizzo and wow ideas for just doing that.

A good deal of today's informed wisdom is actually based on a premise stated by Peter Drucker, the master management guru, 46 years ago, in his book The Practice of Management.

The sole purpose of any business is to create customers.

What the customer thinks he is buying, what he considers to be value, is decisive. The customer is the foundation of a business and keeps it in existence. To your customer you are the business. Giving exceptional service is in the detail and paying attention to the detail is what makes exceptional organisations.

At Scandinavian Airline System (SAS), employees refer to their countless daily contacts with customers as 'moments of truth'. These occur anytime a customer comes into contact with any part of your organisation and uses that contact to judge the quality of the organisation.

Anything can become a 'moment of truth' for your customers. In that time your customer can rate you and decide whether to use, recommend or come back again. Your current customers are your best salespeople nurture them.

Farmers' Market

The next Farmers' Market will take place on Sunday, August 12, in the Town Hall Square. Starting at 10am the market now offers fresh vegetables, soft fruits, herbs and a wide range of plants both annual and perennial.

The craft side of the market is now starting to grow with examples of hand painting and giftware. The Market is organised and run by City Centre Management which is a partnership between local retailers, business services and St Albans City and District Council. To find out how your business or voluntary group can benefit from the work of the partnership contact Melvyn Teare, City Centre Manager on 01727 819268.

Bear Hunt

There are ten bears loose in St Albans city centre. Find all 10 and you could win a £25 shopping voucher. The bears, all famous fictional characters, are hidden in selected places around the city centre.

An entry form for "the hunt" is available from the Museum of St Albans or the Tourist Information Centre. This week's clue, exclusive to St Albans Observer readers is to follow the Cathedral Quarter Trail, a leaflet for which is available from the Tourist Information Centre. Last week's clue was to check out the bookshops. More clues next week.