Customer Service from the Inside Out Made Easy

by Levesque, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781932531916
• ISBN10: 1932531912
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-22
• Publisher: Entrepreneur Press

Summary

Make your business a hot spot Most towns have one--a legendary local business that consistently attracts people from miles around. It's the place that the locals proudly bring visiting relatives and friends to, the place that's always jumping with turbocharged workers and lines of delighted customers, even while nearby competitors are struggling just to stay in business. It's a "flashpoint" business: one where employee and customer excitement catch fire and fuel each other. Want to turn your business into a flashpoint business? This book will teach you exactly how to ignite the spark. Motivate employees to go the extra mile for customers Encourage employees to brainstorm and implement their own innovative customer service ideas Make positive customer feedback a powerful antidote to employee apathy Use "time-release motivators" to sustain the excitement Follow this book's simple yet powerful formula to create a more customer-focused culture--and gain the competitive upper hand.

Author Biography

Paul Levesque is an author, seminar leader, and public speaker with more than 20 years' experience as an international customer-focus consultant.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Gerard Lupacchino
Introduction	xvii
Why Outside In Is Upside Down	xix
When Enthusiasm Catches Fire	xxi
Acknowledgments	xxiii
The Flashpoint Effect	1	(17)
Aspirational Fields	6	(1)
Cultural Makeovers	7	(1)
The Spirit of Volunteerism	8	(3)
Profound Lessons from Mr. Potato Head	11	(2)
When Customer Delight Becomes a Worthy Cause	13	(5)
An End to Employee Cynicism	18	(18)
Profound Lessons from Mickey and Goofy	21	(4)
The Perception of Value	25	(4)
Caution: Now Entering a Cynicism-Free Zone	29	(7)
CFP: Turning Customer Focus into a Process	36	(13)
Driving Blind	37	(2)
Vision Regained	39	(2)
Gift Giving Once Removed	41	(1)
First Process Element: Employee Involvement	42	(1)
Second Process Element: Employee Aid	43	(3)
Third Process Element: Customer Feedback	46	(1)
Fourth Process Element: Employee Motivation	47	(2)
The Competitive Advantage Breakthrough	49	(13)
Resolving the Profit Paradox	49	(2)
Sins of No Mission	51	(2)
The Advantages of Competitive Advantage	53	(2)
Too Many Maps, Too Few Compasses	55	(2)
The Declaration of Interdependence	57	(2)
The Unbeatable Combination	59	(3)
Selling Wows for Fun and Profit	62	(13)
CFP FAQ	64	(4)
Are We Having Fun Yet?	68	(2)
Three Customer Focus Principles	70	(1)
No Stones of Delight Left Unturned	70	(2)
The Migratory Patterns of Third-Ring Differentiators	72	(3)
CFP1: Exceeding Expectations at Every Turn	75	(12)
CFP Brainstorming: The Nitty-Gritty	75	(3)
Idea Generators	78	(2)
The Transaction Sequence	80	(2)
Brainstorming, Round One	82	(1)
Silence Is Golden	83	(1)
Painting Word Pictures	84	(1)
Checking for ``Rememberability''	85	(2)
The Most Violated Principle	87	(12)
Bad Signs	88	(2)
Who's the Music For?	90	(3)
The Fortress Mentality	93	(2)
How Small-Business Davids Can Conquer Corporate Goliaths	95	(4)
CFP2: Making Customers Feel Important	99	(9)
Digging Deeper for Buried Treasure	99	(2)
Building Bridges	101	(2)
The Personal Touch	103	(1)
Low-Cost and No-Cost Customer Delight	104	(1)
Dealing with Cultural Sore Spots	105	(1)
Teacherless Learning	106	(2)
Sharpening Focus to the Max	108	(9)
One Size Doesn't Fit All	109	(2)
Pebbles on a Scale	111	(1)
Overlap in Overdrive	112	(1)
The Function of the Gift Card	113	(1)
When Things Given Feel More Like Things Taken Away	114	(3)
CFP3: Tailoring the Experience to Fit the Customer	117	(14)
A Clean Slate	117	(1)
Increasing the Magnification	118	(1)
The Most Precious Stones Are the Rarest	119	(1)
Customer Categories	120	(2)
Category-Specific Expectations	122	(2)
The Big Finish	124	(2)
Turning Ideas into Implementation Initiatives	126	(3)
The Implementation Log	129	(2)
Time-Release Motivators	131	(12)
Bowling in the Dark	131	(3)
Abolishing Snoopervision	134	(2)
A Touch of Misdirection	136	(1)
Cause for Celebration	137	(4)
Sessions in Succession	141	(2)
Sustaining Focus over the Long Term	143	(8)
The Cure for Shortsightedness	143	(1)
Focus Groups	144	(1)
Slaying Dragons	145	(1)
Hiring for a Cultural Fit	146	(1)
A Gift to Build a Dream On	147	(4)
Appendix: Flashpoint Factors Implementation Workbook	151	(74)
Part A. Flashpoint Factor 1: Leadership	153	(13)
Part B. Flashpoint Factor 2: Internal Communication	166	(13)
Part C. Flashpoint Factor 3: Customer Delight	179	(12)
Part D. Flashpoint Factor 4: Measurement	191	(12)
Part E. Flashpoint Factor 5: Recognition	203	(12)
Part F. Flashpoint Factor 6: Operations	215	(10)
Index	225