The American way
Apart form the shdick with the coffee what Americans do well with people's names is use them. They'll actually listen to your name, then use it every time they say anything to you.
We, on the other hand, in the UK, don't really listen to people's names in the same way, and feel shy about using them too often.
The American system does work, when I remember to use it.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
