The success of any organization depends on high-quality customer service. But for companies that strategically align customer service with their overall corporate strategy, it can transcend typical good business to become a profitable word-of-mouth machine that will transform the bottom line. Drawing on over thirty years of research for companies such as 3M, American Express, Chik-Fil-A, USAA, Coca-Cola, FedEx, GE, Cisco Systems, Neiman Marcus, and Toyota, author Goodman uses formal research, case studies, and patented practices to show readers how they can: • calculate the financial impact of good and bad customer service • make the financial case for customer service improvements • systematically identify the causes of problems • align customer service with their brand • harness customer service strategy into their organization's culture and behavior Filled with proven strategies and eye-opening case studies, this book challenges many aspects of conventional wisdom—using hard data—and reveals how any organization can earn more loyalty, win more customers...and improve their financial bottom line.
A practical guide for providing exceptional client service Most advertising and marketing people would claim great client service is an elusive, ephemeral pursuit, not easily characterized by a precise skill set or inventory of responsibilities; this book and its author argue otherwise, claiming there are definable, actionable methods to the role, and provide guidance designed to achieve more effective work. Written by one of the industry's most knowledgeable client services executives, the book begins with a definition, then follows a path from an initial new business win to beginning, building, losing, then regaining trust with clients. It is a powerful source of counsel for those new to the business, for industry veterans who want to refresh or validate what they know, and for anyone in the middle of the journey to get better at what they do.
Information is a consumer-driven commodity: the very existence of libraries and information centers is based on the patrons' need for specific information or material.This book outlines the reasons for developing and implementing a formal customer service program and provides specific techniques for establishing such programs in libraries and information centers. Topics covered include the library user as a customer, defining the library's roles, user surveys and survey analysis, and more.
Customer Service Essentials is a must-read and a definitive source of information on effective management of customer service in Africa and beyond. Leveraging on unique concepts and practices developed in the field of customer service management, this book uses case studies and vignettes to reinforce learnings, drawing parallels to real life experiences. The book is a valuable resource for individuals and organizations, in the quest to achieve excellent customer service, increased productivity and enhanced employee satisfaction. It explores the practical challenges of customer service in Africa, examines critical success factors and provides guidelines for effective customer engagement in this evolving highly networked digital era. Policy makers, directors, managers and students will gain valuable and actionable insights on service management as they navigate the chapters. Praise for Customer Service Essentials: Lessons for Africa and Beyond "This book captures service excellence by detailing out in a most explicit manner essential services dynamics of Responsiveness, Accessibility, Tangibles, Empathy and Reliability. I highly recommend it!" Esi Elliot Assistant Professor, Marketing Suffolk University, Boston, MA "I am very impressed with this book and excited to see the topics being discussed in the Chapters are geared toward quality customer service in Africa. All the chapters are superbly written, relevant to the African context and above all, the authors cover incredibly interesting topics and support them with pertinent cases. Bringing together such fine minds in the field, this book is useful and a must for anyone serious about customer service, service branding and the need to respect the customer." Charles Blankson Professor of Marketing College of Business University of North Texas "Hinson and colleagues have skillfully put together a useful collection of new perspectives on modern customer service essentials with an African and global perspective. This is a highly recommended text for students and practitioners." Ellis L.C. Osabutey Reader Roehampton University Business School United Kingdom
Learn how to cultivate the most incredible customer experiences on earth through this essential guide by Colin Cowie, distinguished purveyor of unforgettable “wow” events for the world’s most demanding clients. If you’re searching for ways to ensure your customers walk away from your company with a smile on their face and a plan to return, you found it. And any business organization can adapt the tools and techniques in this book. Colin Cowie, one of the world’s most sought-after event planners, shares the hard-won and hard-nosed advice he has learned through entertaining and engaging stories and examples. He gives readers the indisputable blueprint for creating a customer-service culture that anyone can tailor to their own needs, whether you’re a shopkeeper, corporate marketing director, or budding event planner. Upon coming to the United States from South Africa with $400 in his pocket, Colin built his highly successful catering and event-planning business from the ground up to become event planner to the most respected tastemakers and personalities in the world—including Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, and Kim Kardashian, to name a few. In this book, you will: Learn how to formulate your own vision, mission statements, and guiding principles, and effectively communicate them to your team. Learn how you can align your vision with your essential mission statement. Discover the core values, including service and accountability, that fuel Colin’s customer-care ethos, and how you can apply those values to your own business. Have a renewed understanding of how vitally important it is that you take good care of the people who work for you so they, in turn, can care for your customers. Become armed to inspire and empower your team. Be guided to create your own “bible” of scripts, protocols, and procedures that will streamline customer-care situations while making every customer feel like their individual desires are being taken care of. Learn how to use every complaint as an opportunity, as well as why you should be more afraid of a client who doesn’t complain when something goes wrong versus one who does.
DRIVE MORE VALUE FROM YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN BY IMPROVING THE WAY YOU MANAGE CUSTOMER SERVICE Optimize linked interactions across your entire customer service environment Implement customer-centric strategies, including customer-based supply chain segmentation and lifelong customer logistics management Use the business-driven customer service model to align customer services management to business goals, and measure your progress Customer Service Supply Chain Management offers expert guidance for managing your supply chain to deliver more innovative and profitable customer experiences. Pioneering supply chain management experts Alexandre Oliveira and Anne Gimeno provide a comprehensive overview of the topic, detailed descriptions of each high-value approach, and modern applications and best practices proven at leading companies worldwide. Complementing theoretical texts, they offer deep knowledge of how pioneering customer service management techniques are actually applied in the field. This book’s content will be exceptionally helpful to both practitioners and students in all areas of supply chain management, customer service, and marketing, including participants in leading certification programs. To build a truly customer-centric business, you must integrate, balance, and optimize four sets of relationships: product, customer, service, and process. By doing this, you empower your business to deliver the high-profit solutions your customers really want: personalized packages of products, services, support, education, and consulting. Customer Service Supply Chain Management offers a complete model and blueprint for achieving these goals. Global supply chain innovators Alexandre Oliveira and Anne Gimeno show how to systematically address key issues ranging from organizational structure, governance, and strategy to day-to-day tactics and operations. Oliveira and Gimeno help you assess where you stand now, identify gaps and priorities, and move rapidly towards greater effectiveness. They introduce realistic examples, applications, and best practices: all designed to help you translate theory into practice, and practice into profits. USE CUSTOMER SERVICE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT TO: GROW SALES VOLUME: Increase market share Accelerate revenue cycles Reduce lost sales Support marketing and sales initiatives IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: Add customer value Optimize cost to serve Deliver the right service at the right cost GROW MARGINS: Reduce cost of sales Improve asset management Balance service levels and cost structures
Edited by one of the best-known and most widely respected figures in the field, "Planning for Information Systems" is a comprehensive, single source overview of the myriad ideas and processes that are identified with IS planning. While many chapters deal with high level strategic planning, the book gives equal attention to on-the-ground planning issues.Part I, 'Key Concepts of IS Planning', focuses on how IS planning has evolved over the years; business-IS strategic alignment; and the role of dynamic organizational capabilities in leveraging IS competencies. Part II, 'The Organizational IS Planning Process,' describes IS planning in terms of critical success factors and includes a knowledge-based view of IS planning; a practical assessment of strategic alignment; the IT budgeting process; the search for an optimal level of IS strategic planning; and the role of organizational learning in IS planning.Part III, 'IS Investment Planning', deals with predicting the value that an IS project may have; a 'rational expectations' approach to assessing project payoffs; assessing the social costs and benefits of projects; an options-based approach to managing project risks; planning for project teams; and the moderating effects of coordinated planning. Part IV, 'Goals and Outcomes of IS Planning', considers information strategy as a goal and/or outcome of IS planning; IT infrastructure as a goal or outcome; competitive advantage as a goal or outcome; e-process partnership chains; and planning successful Internet-based projects.
The concept of ‘sustainable urban development’ has been pushed to the forefront of policymaking and politics as the world wakes up to the impacts of climate change and the destructive effects of the Anthropocene. Climate change has emerged to be one of the biggest challenges faced by our planet today, threatening both built and natural systems with long-term consequences, which may be irreversible. While there is a vast body of literature on sustainability and sustainable urban development, there is currently limited focus on how to cohesively bring together the vital issues of the planning, development, and management of sustainable cities. Moreover, it has been widely stated that current practices and lifestyles cannot continue if we are to leave a healthy living planet to not only the next generation, but also to the generations beyond. The current global school strikes for climate action (known as Fridays for Future) evidences this. The book advocates the view that the focus needs to rest on ways in which our cities and industries can become green enough to avoid urban ecocide. This book fills a gap in the literature by bringing together issues related to the planning, development, and management of cities and focusing on a triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability.
BH CIM Coursebooks are crammed with a range of learning objective questions, activities, definitions and summaries to support and test your understanding of the theory. The 07/08 editions contains new case studies which help keep the student up to date with changes in Marketing Planning strategies. Carefully structured to link directly to the CIM syllabus, this Coursebook is user-friendly, interactive and relevant. Each Coursebook is accompanied by access to MARKETINGONLINE (www.marketingonline.co.uk), a unique online learning resource designed specifically for CIM students which can be accessed at any time
Presenting the complexities of doing planning work, with its moral and practical dilemmas, this rich ethnographic study analyses today’s planning scene through the stories of four diverse working environments.
