6 companies where customers come first

Ann Arbor, MI

Type of firm: fitness center

Customer-service strategy: Using customized software, HyperFit (hyperfitusa.com), addresses customer needs on a personalized basis. When new members join HyperFit, they fill out forms that highlight their fitness goals and any health issues. The information is stored in a database so all experts on staff have access to his records. "A trainer might say, 'I know you're bothered by a bulging disk. Let's modify your routine from that of the rest of your classmates,'" says CEO Doug Chapman (center). The gym also helps clients stick to their regimes. If a customer doesn't show up for three weeks, he automatically gets an e-mail alert. Sometimes trainers phone with a pep talk. Recently, a man joined the gym planning to run a marathon, but stopped coming during a messy divorce. After three weeks an alert went out. Chapman followed up by e-mailing an article about marathon training. The man soon returned to the gym.