Pushovers? Not us.

Canadians demand good customer service. In fact, according to the second annual TD Canada Trust Customer Loyalty Poll, customer service is so important that 95% of Canadians say their experiences can make or break a relationship with a particular brand or company. This number is up 10% from last year's survey, showing that Canadians are even more serious about the importance of customer service.

Businesses are constantly looking for new ways to show customers that they care: they may offer rewards/loyalty programs or even gifts. Though many appreciate the perks, the bottom line is that Canadians just want to be treated well. In fact, when asked which form of appreciation they are most interested in, 49 percent ranked "just good customer service" as number one.

Rewards/loyalty programs and gifts followed (18 percent and 17 percent respectively).

"I'm not surprised that good service is the most important decider of loyalty for Canadians for the second year in a row," says Tim Hockey, Group Head, Canadian Banking and President and CEO, TD Canada Trust. "All of our research and all of the conversations we have with our own customers support this. Service is the number one deciding factor for people when they are choosing a company to deal with, and it's the hardest thing to get right.

We've found that good customer service has a ripple effect, in fact our poll shows that 89 percent of people will share their positive stories with their friends and family."

Being friendly to customers goes a long way. When asked what makes customer service great, the number one answer was friendly staff (24 percent). The number two and three answers to what makes customer service great were quick service and being helpful (15 percent and 14 percent). Canadians say they generally receive good customer service, with nearly three-quarters (73 percent) reporting that they have received good customer service in the past month. This number has increased by 11 percent over last year.