Customer Service Mindset

Customer service mantras and rules are common. But are they useful when it comes to actually delivering customer service? Will simply instructing the staff to "greet customers cheerfully as they walk through the door" have any real effect on how the staff handles questions that customers then ask? When a steaming mad customer tells you that you're incompetent and promises to have you fired, can you believe that he's "always right"? And when the boss asks for a report at the same time that the guy in finance needs today's closing balances, are you likely to answer your phone by the third ring rather than let it go to voice mail?