I thought readers' past comments on customer service had covered all opinions of this issue.

I was wrong.

I've received several more responses since my last column on the topic, and two in particular — both from men named Robert — touched on angles that I had not addressed. So I'm going to share them with you today, in hopes that we can keep the conversation going.

Robert No. 1 discussed customer service as it relates to business dress — another issue that has drawn considerable reader response in the past.

"Some of us are amused and/or offended when we have to deal with businesswomen and businessmen who are dressed as if they were going to a fraternity beer-bust up a canyon or going out to work in the garden," Robert wrote. "The dress of business people says a lot about what they think of their customers. Coat-and-tie for men and pant-suit or dress for women shows respect for the customer."

I believe it's true that a crisply dressed employee gives a first impression of respectability and competence. However, if that isn't followed up with helpful, friendly service, I may storm angrily out of the store and forget all about how nice someone looked.

What do you think? How important is the way a worker dresses to your retail experience?

Robert No. 2 wrote in an e-mail that he has worked in customer service for nine years. But instead of meeting people face to face, he helps them over the phone. Based on his experience, he has four suggestions for people who are calling a customer service line.

First, he wrote, clearly state your reason for calling.

"Give a summary of facts," Robert wrote. "Often if you ramble on and on about items not related to why you are calling, the customer service representative will have a hard time concentrating on helping you. This will also help the representative, as they are often held to average call time measurements as part of their job performance."

That's great advice, Robert. I sometimes ramble when calling customer service, usually because I'm angry. If I took a minute to calm down and collect my thoughts before calling, I'd probably have a better experience.

Which brings us to Robert's second point.

"Keep the call professional and courteous," he wrote. "While I don't recall the source, I heard of a study done in the past which stated a customer is most likely to get what they are calling for, or a nice compromise, if they are courteous and tell the customer service representative what they expect by the end of the call."

It's hard to be nice when you're upset, but I've succeeded in being courteous a time or two, and I have been amazed at how well those calls have gone.