Killer Customer Care : Five Star Service That Will Double and Triple Your Profits

by Colombo, George W.

• ISBN13: 9781891984860
• ISBN10: 1891984861
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-12-01
• Publisher: Entrepreneur Press

Summary

Kill the Competition--With Customer Care! What is the Ultimate Competitive Advantage? Loyal Customers.When all things are equal in product, customers look for what makes the provider exceptional. And with so many competitors vying for each customer, the buyer's tolerance for poor service is lower than ever. By providing exceptional customer service, you keep customers coming back, time after time. You'll sell more and you sell more profitably since it costs more to attract a new customer than to keep a previous one coming back. In addition, returning customers are more likely to buy more expensive - and more profitable - goods and services.Providing tips that are easy to understand and implement, Killer Customer Careshows you how to deliver Five-Star customer service - and double and triple your profits along the way! It's not just a book about customer care principles, although it's loaded with great ideas on gaining and maintaining customer loyalty. You also get concrete examples of how to (and not to) apply those ideas.You get tips on how to: Set and communicate customer-care standards Understand the dynamics of face-to-face contact, and use it to your advantage Exceed customer expectations Empower employees Follow up Measure customer satisfaction See your business from the customers view Anticipate needs

Author Biography

George Colombo, president and CEO of Influence Technologies in Winter Springs, Florida, is a leading authority on the use of technology in sales and marketing and an expert in Internet commerce. He is the author of Sales Force Automation and Capturing Customers.com.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD
by Robert Lewis, President, IT Catalysts	ix
INTRODUCTION	xiiii
SECTION I The One Critical Factory for Business Success in tue 21st Century
CHAPTER 1. The Unique and Overriding Importance of Killer Customer Care	3	(12)
The Case for Killer Customer Care	4	(7)
Welcome to the Twenty-First Century	11	(1)
Looking Ahead	12	(3)
SECTION II Laying the Groundwork for Killer Customer Care
CHAPTER 2. Setting the Stage for Your Killer Customer Care Program	15	(12)
Understand and Acknowledge the Limitations of Your Employees' Perspective	16	(1)
Prepare to Overcome Cultural Inertia With Persistence	17	(2)
Establish High Customer Care Standards	19	(1)
Relentlessly Communicate the Killer Customer Care Gospel to Your Employees	20	(4)
Celebrate Customer Care Successes	24	(1)
A Final Word	25	(1)
Looking Ahead	25	(2)
CHAPTER 3. How to Develop Your Own Unique Vision of Killer Customer Care	27	(10)
Defining the Vision and Outlining the Principles	28	(1)
Deconstructing Your Competitors	29	(1)
You'll Only Think Outside the Box if You Step Outside the Box	30	(2)
Drilling Down a Level or Two	32	(3)
Looking Ahead	35	(2)
CHAPTER 4. Institutional Listening: Understanding and Anticipating Your Customer Needs	37	(11)
The Science (and Art) of Listening	39	(7)
Looking Ahead	46	(2)
CHAPTER 5. Setting and Managing Your Customers' Expectations	48	(11)
A Telling Scenario	49	(1)
What Happened?	50	(1)
The Delta Principle	51	(1)
Customers' Expectations Are Not Always Obvious	51	(7)
Looking Ahead	58	(1)
CHAPTER 6. Teamwork Doesn't Happen by Accident	59	(12)
Structural Impediments to Teamwork	60	(5)
Five Proven Strategies for Promoting Effective Teamwork	65	(5)
Looking Ahead	70	(1)
CHAPTER 7. Unleashing the Dynamics of Face-to-Face Contact	71	(13)
One: Greet the Customer in a Timely Manner	73	(1)
Two: Smile!	74	(2)
Three: Tell the Customer What to Expect/What's Going on	76	(1)
Four: Look Your Customer in the Eye	77	(1)
Five: Follow the Customer's Lead	78	(1)
Six: Be Available	79	(1)
Seven: Live Customer Trumps the Telephone	79	(2)
Eight: Stay Focused on the Customer	81	(1)
Nine: Capture Customer Information for Follow-up Contact	81	(1)
Ten: Prepare for All of the Most Likely Scenarios	82	(1)
Looking Ahead	83	(1)
CHAPTER 8. Why You Need to Systematize Your Approach to Customer Care	84	(13)
What's So Special about a System	86	(1)
Getting Personal with Your Customers	87	(2)
Coordinating Customer Connections	89	(4)
The Art of Systematization	93	(1)
Looking Ahead	93	(4)
SECTION III Implementing Your Killer Customer Care Program
CHAPTER 9. Training the Troops on the Front Line	97	(9)
The Disconnect on the Front Line	98	(7)
One Final Word about Customer Care Training	105	(1)
Looking Ahead	105	(1)
CHAPTER 10. Training Everyone Else on the Principles of Customer Care	106	(8)
A Guiding Principle	107	(2)
Killer Customer Care Is for Everyone	109	(4)
Looking Ahead	113	(1)
CHAPTER 11. Learn How to Answer the Telephone	114	(9)
The Critical First Impression	115	(2)
Easy to Disconnect	117	(1)
What about Existing Customers	118	(1)
Use Technology Judiciously	118	(3)
More Ambitious Uses for the Phone	121	(1)
Looking Ahead	122	(1)
CHAPTER 12. Build Entertainment into Your Customers' Experience	123	(7)
Entertainment: The Secret Customer Care Strategy	124	(5)
Looking Ahead	129	(1)
CHAPTER 13. Exceed Your Customers' Expectations	130	(9)
A Small "Delta" Makes a Big Difference	131	(1)
Low-Cost, High-Impact Opportunties to Exceed Expectations	132	(5)
Looking Ahead	137	(2)
CHAPTER 14. Keep Commitments to Customers	139	(7)
A Commitment Is a Commitment	140	(1)
Customers Value Commitments (Even Small Ones)	141	(4)
Looking Ahead	145	(1)
CHAPTER 15. Put Your Customer in Control	146	(8)
The Various Self-Service Tools at Your Disposal	147	(1)
Elements of a Well-Designed Self-Service Option	148	(2)
The "When" and "How" of Deploying Self-Service Effectively	150	(2)
The Last (and Most Important) Word on Self-Service	152	(1)
Looking Ahead	153	(1)
CHAPTER 16. Use Your Customer Information Effectively	154	(9)
The Basics	155	(3)
Getting Information into the System	158	(2)
Getting Information out of the System	160	(2)
Looking Ahead	162	(1)
CHAPTER 17. Speak and Write in Plain English	163	(10)
The Biggest Impediment to Effective Business Communication	164	(2)
Other Barries to Clear Communication	166	(3)
A Simple Technique for Improving Communication	169	(1)
Looking Ahead	169	(4)
SECTION IV Keeping Your Killer Customer Care Program on Track
CHAPTER 18. The Impact of a Diverse Workplace on Customer Care	173	(7)
Why You Shouldn't Skip This Chapter	174	(1)
A Rapidly Changing Business Environment	174	(1)
The Elements of Change	175	(1)
One Danger of a Nondiverse Environment	176	(1)
Another Important Aspect of Diversity	177	(1)
Recruit and Then Listen	178	(1)
Looking Ahead	179	(1)
CHAPTER 19. Ask-But Only if You Want to Know	180	(6)
The Key Characteristic of a Killer Customer Care Environment	181	(2)
When and How to Do It	183	(1)
What if the Answer Is Negative?	184	(1)
Looking Ahead	185	(1)
CHAPTER 20. Turn Complaining Customers into Enthusiastic Advocates	186	(8)
Let's Face It: Sometimes There's a Screwup	187	(1)
The Six Steps for Dealing with a Complaining Customer	188	(5)
Looking Ahead	193	(1)
CHAPTER 21. Empower Your Employees to Make Things Right	194	(8)
The Power of Empowerment	196	(1)
Putting a Championship Team on the Field	196	(5)
Looking Ahead	201	(1)
CHAPTER 22. Stay in Touch After the Sale	202	(8)
Huge Opportunity for Differentiation	203	(1)
Three Elements of Continuing Customer Communication	204	(2)
When (and How) to Follow up for Maximum Effectiveness	206	(1)
Principles for Designing Your Follow-up Communication Systems	207	(1)
The Concept of "Automated Tactics"	208	(1)
Looking Ahead	209	(1)
CHAPTER 23. "Shop" Your Business Regularly to Ensure Quality	210	(8)
Seeing Your Business as Your Customer Does	211	(2)
Shopping Your Business	213	(2)
Using Shoppers Properly	215	(1)
Some Additional Rules for Shopping Your Busiess Effectively	216	(1)
Looking Ahead	217	(1)
CHAPTER 24. Measure Customer Satisfaction	218	(9)
Leading Indicators	219	(1)
So, How Do You Know?	219	(1)
What Should You Measure?	220	(2)
How to Measure Effectively	222	(1)
How to Ask	223	(2)
Using the Information You Accumulate	225	(1)
Looking Ahead	226	(1)
CHAPTER 25. Use Focus Groups to Hone Your Insight	227	(8)
The Most Basic Idea in the World	228	(5)
Guidelines for Making Your Focus Group Work	233	(2)
POSTSCRIPT. Some Closing Thoughts About Killer Customer Care	235	(4)
INDEX	239