Examines the special characteristics that make services and the management of service organizations successful. Provides a comprehensive framework for service oriented businesses that stresses a streamlined service management system, the key components of which are market segment, service concept, service delivery system, image, and culture. Growth strategies and the nature of innovation are analyzed and amply illustrated. The role and principles of good leadership in service organizations form a crucial area of discourse. Topics such as the use of image and culture as management instruments, effective and persuasive communications, and ``high social technology'' are also explored.
Professional service firms differ from other business enterprises in two distinct ways: first they provide highly customised services thus cannot apply many of the management principles developed for product-based industries. Second, professional services are highly personalised, involving the skills of individuals. Such firms must therefore compete not only for clients but also for talented professionals. Drawing on more than ten years of research and consulting to these unique and creative companies, David Maister explores issues ranging from marketing and business development to multinational strategies, human resources policies to profit improvement, strategic planning to effective leadership. While these issues can be complex, Maister simplifies them by recognising that 'every professional service firm in the world, regardless of size, specific profession, or country of operation, has the same mission statement: outstanding service to clients, satisfying careers for its people and financial success for its owners.'
Service chain management enables service organisations to improve customer satisfaction and reduce operational costs. In this book, Christos Voudouris and his BT colleagues together with experts from industry and academia present the latest innovations and technologies used to manage the operations of a service company. The viewpoints presented are based on the BT experience and on associated research and development. Service chain management is looked at both from the enterprise perspective and from the standpoints of the service professional and customer. The focus is on real-world challenges.
Customer satisfaction is a critical factor to the potential success or failure of a business. By implementing the latest marketing strategies, organizations can better withstand the competitive market. Strategic Marketing Management and Tactics in the Service Industry is an essential reference publication that features the latest scholarly research on service strategies for competitive advantage across industries. Covering a broad range of topics and perspectives such as customer satisfaction, healthcare service, and microfinance, this book is ideally designed for students, academics, practitioners, and professionals seeking current research on best practices to build rapport with customers.
Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
"This book provides a comprehensive collection of research and analysis on the principles of service, knowledge and organizational capabilities, clarifying IT strategy procedures and management practices and how they are used to shape a firm's knowledge resources"--Provided by publisher.
Understand Consumer Psychology to Drive Profits and Growth Want to know exactly what’s driving your customer's behavior? NOW YOU CAN! The Customer Service Solution explains how consumers perceive services and shows you how to enhance the customer experience--every time. In this economic climate, the customer service experience is more critical than ever. Most leading service firms advocate the TLC mantra: Think Like a Customer. That's a good practice, but first you have to understand what your customer is thinking and feeling. Today's business leaders cannot afford to neglect the psychological principles that govern customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty. What are the factors that really determine customer satisfaction? Two of the nation's leading authorities on service psychology, Sriram Dasu and Richard Chase, have written this groundbreaking guide that identifies and demystifies the psychological triggers behind customer behavior. You'll go where customer satisfaction surveys, mystery shoppers, and focus groups can't--and learn exactly why customers respond and behave the way they do. With findings drawn from behavioral science research, this book provides all the tools you need to evaluate your current service platforms and design future strategies to enhance customer perceptions positively and drive your sales. The Customer Service Solution illustrates why even companies with high levels of satisfaction are missing tremendous opportunities by neglecting the emotional elements that govern consumer interactions. This book will show you how to: Shape and manage customer perceptions Understand implicit versus explicit outcomes Develop the roles of control and choice among buyers Design emotionally intelligent processes Build trust among customers Whatever your business may be--healthcare, hospitality, financial services, e-commerce, and more--this book is an essential tool to help you increase profits by leveraging your company's customer experience. PRAISE FOR THE CUSTOMER SERVICE SOLUTION: "Harnessing the power of emotions will help to drive an exceptional customer experience creating customers for life to help your business thrive. Finally, a guide to help us better understand how to do this." -- James Merlino, MD, Chief Experience Officer, Cleveland Clinic "Required reading for anyone designing a service encounter." -- James Heskett, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School, coauthor of The Service Profit Chain and Service Future "I have always known that our customers shop with us because they want to, not because they have to. How to make them want to is the secret that this great book unlocks." -- Kevin Davis, President and CEO, Bristol Farms "[Dasu and Chase] share easy-to-understand ideas and guidance to operations managers who typically do not think about the psychology of customers in designing their services." -- Mary Jo Bitner, PhD, Professor and Executive Director, Center for Services Leadership, W. P. Carey School, Arizona State University "Dasu and Chase provide an excellent set of ideas for delivering emotional customer service experiences through systems and operations." -- Rodolfo Medina, Vice President, Marketing & Commercial, Rock in Rio "This book provides valuable insights to managing and molding the customer's emotional journey, leading to ultimate satisfaction and sustainable loyalty." -- Ali V. Kasikci, Regional Managing Director, Orient-Express
A comprehensive model for managing a service business. Shows how to achieve the level of coordination required in an organization where employees from many departments have direct customer contact.
Business rules management system (BRMS) is a software tools that work alongside enterprise IT applications. It enables enterprises to automate decision-making processes typically consisting of separate business rules authoring and rules execution applications. This proposed title brings together the following key ideas in modern enterprise system development best practice. The need for service-oriented architecture (SOA). How the former depends on component-based development (CBD). Database-centred approaches to business rules (inc. GUIDES). Knowledge-based approaches to business rules. Using patterns to design and develop business rules management systems Ian Graham is an industry consultant with over 20 years. He is recognized internationally as an authority on business modelling, object-oriented software development methods and expert systems. He has a significant public presence, being associated with both UK and international professional organizations, and is frequently quoted in the IT and financial press.
Providing clear guidance for anyone servicing internal or external customers, this book offers a framework for analyzing and managing quality using a comprehensive closed-loop approach. This book cuts through the complexities of the mantra ‘better, cheaper, faster’ (BCF) and offers procedures for the evaluation of customer needs, the determination of performance metrics, and the design of effective customer satisfaction surveys. It details basic statistical techniques and packages the framework, procedures, and methods into a management construct that includes external quality certification systems and internal performance management systems. Importantly, the book also describes how these systems can be implemented in a virtual workplace. This quality management book will be essential to service-oriented firms (financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, etc.), as well as any firm with internal customer service processes such as human resource management, purchasing, and accounting. Professionals at all levels, corporate trainers, and students will welcome this book’s common set of principles and tools, accompanied by many case studies that illustrate how they are applied in various environments.
