Strategic Customer Care An Evolutionary Approach to Increasing Customer Value and Profitability

by Brown, Stanley A.

• ISBN13: 9780471643425
• ISBN10: 0471643424
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-02-24
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

How to successfully apply the principles of customer care in any companyMost organizations today recognize the importance of improving customer care-the need to go beyond traditional customer service and truly manage customers as assets-but only about 6% apply its principles effectively. This book fully explains the three stages in the evolution of customer care. Readers will be guided through the process of acquiring customers, retaining them through segmentation and management of the relationship, and targeting their most significant marketing efforts to the most profitable segments. Shows companies how to identify where they are in their own evolutionary process Outlines successes and failures of companies, including Sears, CIBC, AT&T/Matrixx, Kodak, FedEx, and more

Author Biography

Stanley A. Brown is the Leader of the Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Centre of Excellence in Customer Care. Part of the Market and Customer Management Practice of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the Centre works with organizations to enhance revenue and improve profitability through a focus on processes that touch the customer. <P> He is a frequent speaker on the topic of customer care, and writes regularly for newsletters and magazines, including <I>Sales and Marketing Management </I>and <I>ICSA News.</I> He is the author of four previous books: <I>Practices of Leaders in Customer Support </I>(Wiley, 1997), <I>What Customers Value Most: How to Achieve Business Transformation by Focusing on Processes That Touch Your Customers </I>(Wiley, 1995), <I>Total Quality Service, </I>and <I>Creating the Service Culture.</I>

Table of Contents

Foreword	vi
Preface	viii
Acknowledements	xiv
PART ONE: THE SKILLS NEEDED BEFORE YOU START: THE FIVE FOUNDATION PILLARS THAT DEFINE YOUR CURRENT AND FUTURE STAGE OF EVOLUTION	3	(148)
The Stages in the Evolution of Customer Care	7	(20)
Building the Foundation: Where Are You Right Now?	7	(4)
The Stages of Evolution	11	(9)
What Stage Are You In?	20	(5)
Lessons Learned	25	(2)
Who Are Your Customers? The Need for Customer Profiles	27	(18)
Building the Foundation: Who Are My Customers and What Are Their Needs?	28	(3)
In Which Supplier Category Do You Fall?	31	(2)
The Significance of the Customer Profile: Why It DefinesYour Stage	33	(5)
Information Gathering Best Practices	38	(5)
Lessons Learned	43	(2)
Segmentation: Some Customers Are More Important Than Others	45	(26)
Building the Foundation: Not All Customers Are Created Equal	48	(2)
The Importance of Customer Segmentation	50	(14)
Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Guide to Segmentation Best Practices	64	(5)
Lessons Learned	69	(2)
Focusing on Customer Needs Through the Voice of the Customer	71	(30)
Building the Foundation: The Voice of the Customer (VOC) Interview and Summary	75	(1)
Best Practices in Determining the VOC	75	(14)
Using Your Data	89	(10)
Lessons Learned	99	(2)
The Importance of Technology: A Key Enabler	101	(26)
Building the Foundation: Choosing Your Technology Carefully	102	(1)
The Role of Technology:Matching It to Your Stage of Evolution	103	(6)
A Step-by-Step Approach to Technology Investments	109	(2)
Tools for Success	111	(14)
Lessons Learned	125	(2)
Staged Customer Management	127	(24)
Building the Foundation: Customer Management Must Fit the Stage	128	(2)
A Staged Perspective on Customer Management Practices	130	(15)
Customer Complaint Management	145	(2)
Lessons Learned	147	(4)
PART TWO: THE ROUTE MAP TO STAGE III CUSTOMER CARE: THE 12 STEPS TO GET YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION	151	(124)
Your Survival Strategy for the Future: Why the Route Map is Essential	157	(20)
Using the Route Map: Perspectives on Strategic Customer Care	157	(3)
How to Overcome Common Reasons for Failure	160	(5)
A Fork in the Road Ahead---Which Path Will You Choose?	165	(9)
Lessons Learned	174	(3)
Bringing the Process to Life: The importance of Alignment	177	(36)
Using the Route Map: Aligning People and Process Steps	177	(5)
Step 1: Management Alignment and Mobilization	182	(5)
Step 2: Readiness Assessment: Is Everyone Ready for Change?	187	(5)
Step 7: Management Call to Action---Using Your Results to Build Your Team	192	(7)
Step 10: Team Training	199	(11)
Lessons Learned	210	(3)
How to Support the Process: The Tools and Practices Needed for Information Gathering	213	(24)
Using the Route Map: Acquiring New Skills and Embracing New Technology	213	(2)
Revisting the Importance of Customer Loyalty and Retention	215	(4)
Step 3: Customer Segmentation	219	(3)
Step 4: Customer Profiling	222	(8)
Step 6: Gap Analysis	230	(4)
Lessons Learned	234	(3)
Action Planning: Building the Plan with Tools and Practices in Place	237	(30)
Using the Route Map: Time for Action	237	(1)
Step 8: Building Your Strategic Action Plan	238	(12)
Step 9: Customer Alignment	250	(4)
Step 11: Developing an Implementation Plan	254	(6)
Step 12: Performance Monitoring and Adjustment	260	(5)
Lessons Learned	265	(2)
Destination: Success	267	(8)
Part I: Building the Foundation	267	(3)
Part II: Using the Route Map	270	(5)
Appendix A: Syndicated Research on Customer Satisfaction	275	(2)
Appendix B: The Project Charter	277	(4)
Appendix C: Sample Readiness Assessment	281	(4)
Appendix D: The Customer Profile	285	(6)
Reccommended Reading List	291	(7)
Index	298