Index
access for customers with disabilities
advertising, on the Internet, 128, 140
alignment, of leaders, 103
Anderson, Chris, 115
anticipatory customer service, 5–6, 59–83, 133–134
benchmarking in, 67–68
dashboard concept in, 78–79
efficient processes in, 68–70, 72
emotional attachments in, 71–72
information about customer experience, 75–79
Internet and, 73–78
Lean Manufacturing methodology, 72
looking for defects/defective situations, 62–65
process-based solutions, 79–83
protective customer bubble and, 54, 96, 97–98
reactive customer service versus, 4–5
reducing waste to add value, 66–68
repetition strategy, 125–127
thinking like a customer, 59–62
training employees to anticipate, 94–95
apologizing
fake apologies, 29
after service breakdowns, 28–29
slowing down apologies, 29
aptitudes, 84–88
Atchison, Shane, 116
attitude
attitudes, in orientation process, 90–91
auditory impairments, customer access and, 136, 137
automated links, 25
automated mass mailings, 24, 25, 122–124
banner advertising, 140
behavior-shaping constraints, 67
beliefs, in orientation process, 90–91
benchmarking
in anticipation of customer service, 67–68
in manufacturing-based systems, 66–68
personnel, 89–90
Bezos, Jeff, 22
Bose, 17
brand ambassador process, 93–94
Branson, Richard, 117
breakdowns in service, see service recovery
Bryson, Bill, 60
BVLGARI, 2
Caliper system, 89
Cambridge, Chris, 132
Capella Hotels and Resorts, 2, 21, 41, 145–146, 155–157
captchas, 136–137
caring service delivery, 9–11, 53–54, 99
Carnegie, Dale, 53
CD Baby, 123–124
coercion, avoiding, 17–18
Coldren, Jay, 143
collaboration, with customer after service breakdown, 31
comment cards, 50
commoditization process, 2, 119
compensation, for service recovery, 34–36
complaints
handling customer, 39–43
suggestions of customers, 31, 35
total customer service empowerment, 40–41
compliant service, 133
conscientiousness, 88
consistency
of language, 15
see also standards
Continuous Improvement Systems, 62–64, 69
Costco, 112
costs
computer-driven modeling of, 128
of customer loyalty, 108–110
Coulton, Jonathan, 124
Courtroom Method of service recovery, 27
crucial emotional moments, see good-byes; greetings; service recovery
cultural differences, 19
Cultural Intelligence (Peterson), 19
customer loyalty
costs of, 108–110
developing, 1–2, see also anticipatory customer service
human touch and, 23–24, 25, 117, 120–124, 126–130
impact of, 2–3
importance of, 1
lifetime value of loyal customer, 35–36, 41
nature of, 7–8
online, 115–130
pricing and, 112–114
survey proxies for, 76–77
write-offs versus, 43–44
customer rankings, 126
customer satisfaction elements, 7–13
caring delivery, 9–11, 53–54, 99
problem resolution, 12–13
customers with disabilities, 135–138
physical access, 135–136, 137–138
cynicism, 103–104
daily check-in, 98–100
Damrosch, Phoebe, 21
dashboard concept, 78–79
Day One orientation, 91–94
defect reduction metrics, 69
defect search process, 62–65
deposition, of service breakdowns, 33–34
disabilities, see customers with disabilities
documentation, of service breakdowns, 33–34
drive-up windows, 61
DYPII (“Did You Plug It In?”) questions, 30, 37, 38
efficiency
in Lean Manufacturing, 66–70, 72
value maintenance and, 70–73
electronic surveys, 50
language engineering, 24–25
mass electronic messages, 24, 25, 122–124
emotional attachments, 71–72
empathy
of employees, 86
in handling service breakdowns, 40
employees, 84–100
as brand ambassadors, 93–94
daily check-in standup meeting, 98–100
hiring standards for, 88–89
key traits, 84–88
leadership by, 106–107
moods of, 102–103
orientation process, 90–98
participation in hiring process, 94
selection discipline for, 89–90
total customer service empowerment, 40–41
underlying purpose of, 91–92
error-tolerant design, 67
evangelists, 118–119
excuses, 34
expectations of customers, resetting, 12
eye contact, 96–97
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), 119
Farmer, Tom, 116
FedEx, 66
feedback
checking your own company, 62
from in-depth surveys, 75–78
from in-house surveys, 75
online, 116–118
responding to negative, 77
from secret shoppers, 78
follow-up
immediate, 32
internal, 32–33
after service recovery, 31, 32–33
wrap-up, 33
forecasted actual production, in manufacturing, 101–102
forgiveness, after service breakdowns, 28–29
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), 119
good-byes, 141–144
as key customer moment, 18–19, 131
long-lasting, 141
personalizing, 141
problems, 142–144
resonant, 141
subcontracting, 142–143
telephone, 135
Google, 139
Google Adwords, 140
Google Alerts, 117
greetings, 131–140
customers with disabilities and, 135–138
human greeters and, 132–133, 138–139
importance of, 132–135
Internet, 139–140
as key customer moment, 18–19, 131
as level of service indicators, 133–134
negative impressions from, 134–135
problems, 142–144
receptionist and, 138–139
recognition in, 134
repeat visits and, 134
in service process, 96–97
subcontracting, 142–143
telephone, 135
timing of, 134–135
website, 127–130
handoff minimization, 64–65
handoffs
reassigned problems, 32
reducing, in quality programs, 64–65
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (Atlanta), 9–11
hearing impairments, customer access and, 136, 137
Heil, Gary, 47
hiring process, 88–90
employee participation in, 94
interviews in, 89–90
standards for, 88–89
Homer, 132
identity theft, 55–56
immediate follow-up, 32
impatience rule, 11–12
in-depth surveys, 75–78
industry-wide standards, 111
in-house surveys, 75
Inn at Little Washington, The, 52–53
insults, avoiding, 17
internal follow-up, 32–33
Internet, 115–130
anticipatory customer service and, 73–78
automated correspondence, 24, 25, 122–124
captchas, 136–137
creating online informational presence, 127–130
customers with disabilities, 122, 136–137
email language, 24–25
evangelists and, 118–119
greetings, 139–140
human touch and, 23–24, 25, 117, 120–124, 126–130
individualization and, 119
long copy/short copy, 119–120
mass electronic messages, 24, 25, 122–124
online commerce, 70
permission marketing and, 56–57, 124–125
preference-tracking systems on, 57–58, 70
pros and cons of, 115–118
requests for information, 23
Web interface, 120–124
interviews, in hiring process, 89–90
Italian Mama method of service recovery, 26–27
Keller, Thomas, 21
kindness, of employees, 85–86
Krick, Beth, 134
language engineering, 14–25
consistency, 15
cultural differences, 19
Internet use, 23–25
for key customer moments, 18–19
language handbook, 15–17
listening, 20
Negative Lexicon, 17–18
online communications, 23–25
price in, 114
for service recovery, 30, 50–51
showing versus telling, 21
on surveys, 76
telephone use, 21–23
language handbook
importance of, 15–17
Negative Lexicon, 17–18
leadership, 101–107
alignment in, 103
challenges of, 101–103
characteristics of great service leaders, 103–105
by employees, 106–107
importance of, 101–103
in manufacturing-based systems, 101–102
moral, 105–106
motivation in, 105
in orientation process, 91
recognition in, 105
reward in, 105
in service-focused departments, 102–103
standard setting in, 104–105
Lean Manufacturing methodology, 66–70, 72
Lexus, 64–65
lifetime value of loyal customer, 35–36, 41
lily gilding, 110–111
listening, importance of, 12
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards, 62
manufacturing-based systems
forecasted actual production, 101–102
Lean Manufacturing technology, 66–70, 72
theoretical capacity, 101
Martin, Demetri, 122
mass mailings, 24, 25, 122–124
Milliken, 66
moods
of employees in service departments, 102–103
in preference-tracking systems, 53
moral leadership, 105–106
motivation, by leaders, 105
name of customer, 53–54
Negative Lexicon, 17–18
New York Times, 42–43
non-compliant service, 133
notes
follow-up, 141
after service recovery, 33
Oasis (Oasis Disc Manufacturing, 123, 145, 147–152
O’Connell, Patrick, 52–53
Ohno, Taiichi, 66
One Size Fits All (Heil), 47
on-time delivery, 11–12, 104–105
optimism
of employees, 86–87
of leaders, 103–104
orientation process, 90–98
attitudes in, 90–91
beliefs in, 90–91
brand ambassador process in, 93–94
creating, 90
Day One orientation, 91–94
values in, 90–91
pace of customer, 97
pay-per-click options, 140
Penn, Mark, 120
perfect product/design, 8–9, 125–127
performance measurement, 104–105
permission marketing, 56–57, 124–125
Per Se restaurant, 21
personality traits, 84–88
personalization
of customer interactions, 80–81, 119
of good-byes, 141
of greetings, 134
of Internet interactions, 119
personnel benchmarking, 89–90
Peterson, Brooks, 19
physical access, 135–136, 137–138
physical cues, 20–21
physical impairments, customer access and, 135–136, 137–138
positive attitude, 86–87, 103–104
preference-tracking systems, 45–58
caring delivery of information, 53–54
changes in preferences, 52–53
examples, 46–48
moods, 53
permanent information, 49
permission marketing, 56–57, 124–125
persistence in, 58
privacy issues, 50–51, 54–58, 74–75
real-time information, 51–52
security issues, 50–51, 54–58, 126
simple approach, 46–48
technology in, 51–52, 54–56, 56–58, 73–78
volume as excuse, 82
what to track, 48–51
price
thinking like customers, 113–114
in value proposition, 112
privacy
of preference-tracking systems, 50–51, 54–58, 74–75
protective customer bubble and, 54, 96, 97–98
of surveys, 78
problem resolution
in Continuous Improvement Systems, 62–64, 69
in customer satisfaction, 12–13
see also service recovery
process-based solutions, 79–83
protective customer bubble, 54, 96, 97–98
public relations, 116–117
Purple Cow (Godin), 2
quality programs, 62–64
defect reduction metrics, 69
efficient processes, 68–70
eliminating defects/defective situations, 64–65
handoff reduction, 64–65
looking for defects/defective situations, 62–64
waste reduction, 66–68
reactive customer service, 4–5
reassigned problems, 32
receptionists, 138–139
recognition
of customers, 134
of employees, 105
repetition strategy, in anticipatory customer service, 125–127
requests for information, 23, 122
rewards
by leaders, 105
for survey participation, 77
Riedel, 110–111
Ritz-Carlton, The, 2
Day One orientation, 91–94
Mr. BIV quality program, 62–64
preference-tracking system of, 46–48
total customer service empowerment, 41
Safire, William, 16
Schultz, Howard, 59–60
Schulze, Horst, 15–16, 41, 64, 91
screening telephone calls, 21–22
Scrimshaw Workshop, The (Bar Harbor, Maine), 132
secret shoppers, 78
security
of preference-tracking systems, 50–51, 54–58, 126
website, 126
Seligman, Martin E. P., 86–87
serial position curve, 131
service recovery, 26–44
apologizing in, 28–29
compensation for, 34–36
Courtroom Method, 27
disastrous handling of, 36–39
documenting problem, 33–34
fixing the problem, 31
handling customer complaints, 39–41
Italian Mama method, 26–27
as key customer moment, 18–19
key steps, 27–31
personal research on, 36–39
preference-tracking systems and, 49–51
problem resolution for, 12–13
reassigned problems, 32
reviewing customer complaint, 30
subtle approach to, 41–43
thinking like customers, 28–29
website service failures, 23, 62
writing off customers, 43–44
Sewell, Carl, 113
showing, versus telling, 21
simplicity, of preference-tracking systems, 46–48
solutions, for service breakdowns, 35
Sopranos, The, 20
standards
hiring, 88–89
industry-wide, 111
performance, 104–105
Starbucks, 59–60
subcontracting, of customer service, 142–143
subtle service recovery, 41–43
suggestions from customers, 31, 35
surveys
comment cards, 50
in-depth, 75–78
in-house mini-surveys, 75
language engineering on, 76
mistakes on, 77–78
personal responses to, 77
Taco Bell, 61
Talent Plus, 89
Target, 111
team orientation, 87
telephone calls
good-byes, 135
greetings, 135
hearing impairments and, 137
picking up phone, 22–23
sample interaction guidelines, 149–150
screening, 21–22
after service recovery, 33
telephone numbers in preference-tracking systems, 57
toll-free service numbers, 70, 122
for website customers, 129–130
testimonials, 118–119
theoretical capacity, in manufacturing, 101
thinking like customers
in anticipatory customer service, 59–62
pricing and, 113–114
in service recovery process, 28–29
Thoreau, Henry David, 123
Tiffany, 112
of greetings, 134–135
on-time delivery, 11–12, 104–105
toll-free service numbers, 70, 122
total customer service empowerment, 40–41
Toyota, 64
Toyota Production System, 66
training
for anticipatory customer services, 94–95
cost-benefit analysis of, 109–110
for language consistency, 15
language handbook in, 15–17
by leaders, 106
orientation process in, 90–98
passion for, 95
principles of, 96–98
after service breakdowns, 32–33, 35
specific curriculum for, 95–96
trolling, 117–118
Trotter, Charlie, 61
trust, 34–35
TTD/TTY machines, 137
turnaround situations, 103–104
value, 70–73
emotional attachments, 71–72
price in value proposition, 112
as relative concept, 111
value proposition, 112
values, in orientation process, 90–91
Virgin Atlantic, 117
vision, of leaders, 103, 106–107
visual cues, 20–21
visual impairments, customer access and, 122, 136–138
WalMart, 22
Walt Disney Company, 2
Walton, Sam, 22
warmth
of employees, 85–86
in service process, 96–97
waste reduction, 66–68
websites
accessibility for customers with disabilities, 122, 136–138
automated links, 25
developing, 127–130
greetings, 139–140
requests for information, 23, 122
security issues, 126
self-service elements, 122
Web forms, 129
wheelchair access, 135–136, 137–138
White, Marco Pierre, 118
wrap-up, 33
Zappos, 116