Kaufman takes you on a journey into the new world of service. Learn how the world's leading companies have changed the game, and how you can successfully follow this path to an uplifting service transformation.
Cutting through the haze of hatred and polarizing politics of our time, The Freedom Paradox offers an unexpected solution to re-unite America. It was the best of times, and it now seems like the worst of times. The chaos, discord and hostility gripping America today are evident to all. The root cause of these woes, however, is not so obvious. Using his keen sense of cultural awareness, Bobby Albert answers the questions that are on our hearts and minds, “What happened to the America of our youth?” and “How can we re-claim it?”. Many are fighting for and celebrating their freedoms, but few realize that unrestrained freedom today results in chaos and constraints tomorrow. Within The Freedom Paradox, readers discover: The “Life and Liberty Equation” and why it’s out of balance The competing approaches of principle and expediency The contrasts and consequences associated with scarcity and abundance mindsets The impact of what they say and how they say it The root cause of the problems of their great nation and how they can help
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.
In this pathbreaking book, world-renowned Harvard Business School service firm experts James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, Jr. and Leonard A. Schlesinger reveal that leading companies stay on top by managing the service profit chain. Why are a select few service firms better at what they do -- year in and year out -- than their competitors? For most senior managers, the profusion of anecdotal "service excellence" books fails to address this key question. Based on five years of painstaking research, the authors show how managers at American Express, Southwest Airlines, Banc One, Waste Management, USAA, MBNA, Intuit, British Airways, Taco Bell, Fairfield Inns, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and the Merry Maids subsidiary of ServiceMaster employ a quantifiable set of relationships that directly links profit and growth to not only customer loyalty and satisfaction, but to employee loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity. The strongest relationships the authors discovered are those between (1) profit and customer loyalty; (2) employee loyalty and customer loyalty; and (3) employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Moreover, these relationships are mutually reinforcing; that is, satisfied customers contribute to employee satisfaction and vice versa. Here, finally, is the foundation for a powerful strategic service vision, a model on which any manager can build more focused operations and marketing capabilities. For example, the authors demonstrate how, in Banc One's operating divisions, a direct relationship between customer loyalty measured by the "depth" of a relationship, the number of banking services a customer utilizes, and profitability led the bank to encourage existing customers to further extend the bank services they use. Taco Bell has found that their stores in the top quadrant of customer satisfaction ratings outperform their other stores on all measures. At American Express Travel Services, offices that ticket quickly and accurately are more profitable than those which don't. With hundreds of examples like these, the authors show how to manage the customer-employee "satisfaction mirror" and the customer value equation to achieve a "customer's eye view" of goods and services. They describe how companies in any service industry can (1) measure service profit chain relationships across operating units; (2) communicate the resulting self-appraisal; (3) develop a "balanced scorecard" of performance; (4) develop a recognitions and rewards system tied to established measures; (5) communicate results company-wide; (6) develop an internal "best practice" information exchange; and (7) improve overall service profit chain performance. What difference can service profit chain management make? A lot. Between 1986 and 1995, the common stock prices of the companies studied by the authors increased 147%, nearly twice as fast as the price of the stocks of their closest competitors. The proven success and high-yielding results from these high-achieving companies will make The Service Profit Chain required reading for senior, division, and business unit managers in all service companies, as well as for students of service management.
Take Care of Your Customers--or Someone Else Will! Legendary Service Great customer service is a concept organizations love to be known for. Yet most people consider the service they receive to be average, at best. Successful companies make the connection between legendary customer service and a thriving business--they recognize that the way employees treat customers is directly related to the way managers treat employees. Kelsey Young is an optimistic but disillusioned sales associate working her way through college. Her world opens up when one of her professors challenges her to create a culture of service at her workplace by putting the five components of Legendary Service into practice. Although Ferguson's, the store where Kelsey works, certainly isn't known for service excellence, Kelsey believes she can make a positive difference. She quickly learns that culture change isn't easy--and that her role as a frontline employee is more significant than she ever could have imagined. In characteristic Blanchard style, Legendary Service: The Key Is to Care is a quick and entertaining read for people at all organizational levels in every industry. When applied, its lessons will have a profound impact on the service experience your customers will receive. Whether a CEO or a part-time employee, every person can make a difference--and customer service is everyone's job. PRAISE FOR LEGENDARY SERVICE: "Read this book and establish a service culture in your organization." -- Horst Schulze, Chairman/CEO, Capella Hotel Group "Legendary Service has great learnings for people at all organizational levels: for executives and managers, the value of a service culture; and for frontline staff, the reality that they are the face of the company and can make a difference. Legendary service--it's everyone, always." -- Mark King, CEO and President, TaylorMade Golf "Everything I know about service I learned from my career at Hilton Hotels, Marriott International, The Walt Disney Company, and Ken Blanchard. The One Minute Manager dramatically changed my thinking 32 years ago. Legendary Service will teach the next generation how to deliver sensational service. Buy it, study it, implement it." -- Lee Cockerell, Executive Vice President, Walt Disney World (Retired & Inspired), and author of Creating Magic and The Customer Rules "Kathy Cuff and Vicki Halsey have created a fantastic customer service model called ICARE. When you add their voices to that of the master storyteller Ken Blanchard, you have a masterpiece entitled Legendary Service. It is a must-read for everyone who, like me, has a passion for service." -- Colleen Barrett, President Emeritus, Southwest Airlines, and coauthor of Lead with LUV "Ken Blanchard has done it again and delivered the right book at the right time. Legendary Service provides the essentials of hospitality and servant leadership in a way that everyone can adopt--right now--today!" -- John Caparella, President and COO, The Venetian, The Palazzo, and Sands Expo "Ken, Kathy, and Vicki show us how to change everyday service events into memorable experiences. Their book is a must-read for anyone unwilling to accept mediocrity." -- Leonardo Inghilleri, coauthor of Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit
Increase the creativity and skill level of customer service representatives, demonstrate what excellent customer service is, provide insights and practice to improve customer service, develop your own organization's bank of customer service learning situations.
Writing in a humorous conversational style, Chief Alan Brunacini explains the application of common-sense customer service concepts to the fire service. Essentials of Fire Department Customer Service is basic reading for every firefighter, officer, and administrator.
A clear-sighted introduction to a complex subject, 'Internal Marketing' provides the reader with a succinct overview of the most recent thinking and practice. The text begins by defining what internal marketing is and how it can work, and from this foundation: * Outlines state-of-the-art thinking and practice * Demonstrates how internal marketing can be used to facilitate such diverse strategies as TQM, New Product Development and Change Management * Highlights the techniques managers need to understand to use IM effectively within their organizations * Contains a range of international and up to the minute examples and cases of best practice from companies around the world Throughout the book the emphasis is on understanding the principles that have made internal marketing such a potent force within leading corporations. This is combined with a pragmatic assessment of the many challenges involved in making it a reality within an organization.
For courses in Customer Service, Marketing Principles in two-year vocational/technical schools, and related classes in Business Education. This unique text uses a model with customers at its center, integrating an organization's service philosophy and strategy, its systems, and its people-management policies that enable it to succeed in the 21st century business environment. With its comprehensive coverage of customer service communication "best practices,"Customer Service" provides innovative concepts and techniques appropriate for both experienced and entry-level customer service providers.