Wired and Dangerous How Your Customers Have Changed and What to Do About It

by Bell, Chip R.; Patterson, John R.

• ISBN13: 9781605099750
• ISBN10: 1605099759
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-30
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

In an era of economic stress, rapid change, and social networking, customers are distracted, disgruntled, and harder to please than ever. Picky, Fickle, Vocal, Wired, and Vain they have very little tolerance for error and are ready to spread the word quickly over the internet when things go wrong. If a companyrs"s customer service doesnrs"t adapt to these new conditions, they will get burned by bloggers and viral videos that can severely damage their reputation. This book describes exactly what todayrs"s customers expect and how to give it to them. InWired and Dangerous, Bell and Patterson provide a tested formula for restoring balance to the customer relationship by establishing what they call "Service Calm". The three steps to Service Calm sound simple, but they draw on sophisticated psychological principles and are profound in application: 1) Deal with Self, 2) Deal with Customer, 3) Deal with Context.

Author Biography

Chip R. Bell is a senior partner with the Chip Bell Group, which consults with, organizations on strategies that support long-term customer loyalty. A renowned keynote speaker, he is the author or coauthor of bestsellers such as Managers as Mentors, Magnetic Service, Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service, and Service Magic. John R. Patterson is founder and president of Progressive Insights, a Chip Bell Group affiliate. His consulting practice helps organizations worldwide consistently deliver great customer experiences that create devoted customers. He is the coauthor, with Chip Bell, of the bestselling Take Their Breath Away and Customer Loyalty Guaranteed.

Table of Contents

The Situation
Welcome to Turbulent Times!	p. 1
How the Service Covenant Became Corrupted	p. 13
Picky: Why Today's Customers Are Finicky	p. 25
Fickle: Why Today's Customers Are Capricious	p. 35
Vocal: Why Today's Customers Are Noisy	p. 47
Vain: Why Today's Customers Are Self-Centered	p. 59
The Resolution
Manifesto: The Wired and Dangerous Link	p. 69
How the Service Covenant Can Be Rebalanced	p. 79
Grounding: How to Balance Yourself for Partnership	p. 89
Connection: How to Help Customers Feel Like Partners	p. 99
Bad Connections: How to Turn Angry Customers into Partners	p. 111
Wireless Connections: How to Partner with Customers via the Internet	p. 123
Congruence: How to Get the Service Setting in Balance	p. 137
Acumen: How to Keep the Customer Relationship in Balance	p. 151
Suggestions for Partnering with Customers
Flash Drive: Tools and Favorites	p. 165
Tools
For Calming Customer Crackpots, Bullies, and Militants	p. 166
For Serving When Customer Pain Must Be Involved	p. 168
For Giving Great Lateral Service	p. 172
For Service Leadership in Turbulent Times	p. 176
For Crafting a Really Cool Service Vision	p. 182
For a Great Emotional Connection with Customers	p. 186
For Conducting a Truly Focused Focus Group	p. 189
For Serving as an Expert	p. 191
For ôServing in the Darkö Like a Partner	p. 196
For Firing a Customer	p. 199
For Conducting Customer Forensics	p. 203
For Determining If Your Service Process Is Unwell	p. 206
For Adding Decoration to the Service Experience	p. 208
For Designing a Survey Your Customers Will Actually Complete	p. 209
Favorites
Best Books on Understanding the Wired and Dangerous Customer	p. 211
Best Websites for Understanding the Wired and Dangerous Customer	p. 213
Favorite Service Quotes	p. 217
Twenty Things Today's Wired and Dangerous Customers Really Want	p. 218
Favorite Metaphor for Turning ôDangerousö Customers into Advocates	p. 219
A Poem on Customers as Partners	p. 222
Notes	p. 223
Bibliography	p. 233
Thanks	p. 236
Index	p. 239
About the Authors	p. 247
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