Welcome to an exciting journey through the wonderful world of customer service
into the twenty-first century. The last century was challenging, but hold onto
your
hats, because, as Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, "Toto, I
don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore."
The business world, society, and the worldwide demographics
have changed dramatically in recent decades. The pace of these changes is greatly
accelerating and more changes will come. Further, with advances in technology,
change is happening in the business world at a phenomenal pace.
So let’s
explore the dynamics occurring at every level of every organization in
every industry and organization as we examine the people, practices, and events
that make the world of customer service what it is today and will be tomorrow.
As you read this book, you will discover that it provides a thorough introduction
to a crucial skill set for anyone working in business today—people skills,
or the skills to better understand and relate to others.
Our intention is to raise your awareness, prompt your thinking, give you many
step-by-step suggestions for improvement, and provide you with a valuable reference
for information on how you and your organization can deliver service excellence.
The information contained herein will benefit you whether you are new to dealing
with others in a business setting or are more experienced with internal customers
(e.g., coworkers or other employees) and external customers (e.g., consumers,
vendors, or other end users of products).
Although the terms customer service
professional and customer service organization are used throughout
the book, they are not meant to be exclusive. Everyone in business,
government, or industry today has internal and/or external customers to
whom they must provide products, services, information, or other deliverables.
The
skills, strategies, and techniques outlined in this book are valid in any organization
because they are directed toward identifying customer needs and then
satisfying those needs. Text Features Customer Service: Building Successful Skills for the
Twenty-First Century uses a wide
variety of text and activities to gain and hold your interest while providing
insights
into the concepts and skills related to customer service.
The text begins with
an overview of what customer service involves, then focuses on specific skills
and related topics, and finally provides insights into future customer service
trends and issues.
The book contains 14 chapters divided into five parts.
The parts focus on different aspects of customer service: Part 1, "The
Profession," Part 2, "Skills
for Success,"
Part 3, "Self-Help Skills," Part 4, "Enhancing Customer Relationships," and
Part 5, "Customer Service for the Twenty-First Century." Along
with the valuable
ideas, guidance, and perspectives offered in this book, you will encounter
realworld
cases about experts in today’s business world, as well as activities
to challenge
your thinking on the topics discussed.
As you move through each chapter, you will
find many helpful tools to enhance your learning experience and assist you
in transferring your new knowledge to the
workplace.
Each chapter starts with a quote from a famous person—to prompt
your thinking
related to the chapter topic and focus.
Also, note the behavioral-based Chapter
Learning Objectives, the main concepts that a learner should know
or be able to put into use by the end of a chapter. The Chapter Learning
Objectives direct
your focus and give you a way to measure your success in grasping the chapter
concepts, once you have completed the chapter.
Before you begin each chapter,
you will do a self-assessment of your current skills and knowledge levels.
This is the Quick Preview, which is a list of brief questions
related to providing customer service that you answer and score yourself.
Your incorrect answers help you focus on chapters and parts of chapters as
you
read the book; your correct answers help you determine which chapters and
parts of chapters you should turn to for reinforcement.
From the Frontline features
appear at the beginning of most chapters. They provide
insights into customer service in a variety of businesses, industries, and
organizations.
Told in the words of experts in the fields, these candid snapshots
describe what it is like to provide service in an ever-changing world.
Worksheets are provided on
this website for this book for all chapters to give you an opportunity to
act immediately on what you have learned. In some cases, you will create
samples based on information provided in
the chapter, and in others you will develop an action plan or a list of valuable
information
for future use on the job.
Leadership Initiatives are short, quick tips for
implementing concepts outlined in a chapter. They are designed to assist peer
coaches, managers, supervisors, and
others in leadership positions to create a powerful service environment.
Work It Out activities are provided in all chapters to challenge
your knowledge and provide an opportunity for individual and/or small group
work on a specific topic or issue.
The end-of-chapter features begin with a
Chapter Summary that brings together the key concepts and
issues.
Service in Action presents overviews of internationally known
organizations that are successfully implementing service philosophies.
Key Terms and Concepts are listed at the end of each chapter to assist readers
in identifying important elements they should have learned.
Chapter Review Questions are given at the end of each chapter
to stimulate thinking on how certain situations might be handled using information
gained in the chapter. They also can be used as a discussion vehicle to share
ideas with others.
Search It Out activities give you an opportunity to expand
your knowledge of customer service and your research skills on the Internet.
In each chapter, you will
be asked to explore the Internet to obtain a variety of customer service
facts, figures,
and related information that you will use in group activities, presentations,
or discussions.
You will also have an opportunity to participate in Collaborative
Learning activities, in which you and one or more of your peers can
work through a customer service problem to practice your skills and find answers
to your questions. Face to
Face exercises are customer service scenarios in
which you assume the role of an employee and use the information provided to
determine how you would solve a customer service problem.
Planning to Serve action planning forms are provided at the
end of each chapter. These can be used by readers to develop a strategy for
applying what they learned in each chapter to the real-world service environment.
The
Appendix, Reader’s Customer Service Survey, helps the author—by
providing
your feedback on how you view this book. In addition to filling out an actual
customer survey to tell us what you liked and did not like, you will also
receive a gift for completing and returning the form.
A Glossary, Bibliography,
and Index follow the Appendix. Basis for Content This book draws from my 32 years of management, human resources, and service
experience. Some research and theoretical material appear in the book, but
much
of the information is derived from personal experience, research, and the reflections
of other people who have experienced customer service encounters.
Whether you
are new to business and wish to expand your knowledge of customer service or
are more experienced and are able to describe your efforts in dealing with
people through customer service, customer relations, or customer encounters,
your goal in using this text should be to improve your knowledge and
skills. This can lead to total customer satisfaction.
I’m confident that
this book will help you reach your goals.
Robert William Lucas |