Remember all those things your mom used to tell you, play nice, be polite, share, say please and thank you, help clean up? If companies would just think back and practice a lot of those things, they would provide incomparable customer service.

Well, this is the idea behind Jeanne Bliss’s new book, Would You Do That To Your Mother? being released this Tuesday, May 8. In this book, Bliss shares several of those things mom used to tell you and puts them into the context of how great companies pay heed to mom’s words to provide great customer experiences.

The book starts by getting you to think about mom and the lessons she taught you. Bliss tells stories about her own mom and her upbringing, an entertaining, humorous Italian upbringing from the sound of it.

Jeanne then asks us to imagine mom as your customer.  From there, she sets off in chapters 2 to 5 to discuss specific topics based on mom’s advice. The titles of these give clues as to what will follow: Be the Person I Raised You to Be, Don’t Make Me Feed You Soap, Put Others Before Yourself, and Take the High Road.

Much like her excellent previous book, I Love You More Than My Dog, Bliss presents ideas in a humorous, conversational style using great examples of real businesses who live the lessons being shared. In addition, at the end of each chapter, there are great questions to get readers moving to take action on what they are learning. Bliss challenges us to make changes that will not only better the customer experience but maybe even better our world.

At the end of the book in Chapter 6, Bliss gives us a litmus test to see how we are standing up to what momma taught us. She reviews the lessons shared in each previous chapter and poses questions to help us evaluate where we are today. Then, in Chapter 7, we are challenged to Join the Movement and influence our own business to “march toward becoming the kind of company that is a #MakeMomProud company.”

Thank you Jeanne for writing this great book which I highly recommend to anyone who wishes to change the game and create customer experiences that would #MakeMomProud.

Below are some favorite quotes (honestly, there are so many great quotes in this book you should consider these just the tiniest taste).

“When the focus is only on getting the job done, caring for the human at the center of it can get lost. Employees are not mere people movers or process handlers – they are care providers.”

“Every part of the organization is either caring directly for customers or supporting someone who is.”

“Treating customers with dignity and respect starts with treating employees the same way. In order to deliver customer dignity, employees need to feel it, and receive it themselves.”

“Do you show up as a “caring” company? Is everyone united to care for customers, regardless of role?”

“‘PLEASE GIVE ME TOP SCORES’ is the fourth most annoying interaction customers have with companies.”

“Not knowing what’s happening makes people nuts! Lack of communication is the root of customer unrest, worry, and fear.”

“Make-mom-proud companies would rather keep your business with service and value, not contract terms.”

“Do you deliver pain or pleasure? Do you make it easy and a joy for your customers to do business with you?”

“To achieve your goals, you need to help others to achieve theirs.”

“Be the company that always honors the person first. Before you do anything else, acknowledge the customer reaching out to you. Care genuinely. Know his or her name. This small acknowledgment paves the way for real relationships that go beyond transactions.”