| | |  | Spyware | Home » » » » Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization | | | | | | | Description: | | "Filled with treasure and big ideas, this book will help you become exceptional." - SETH GODIN
In a tight market, your most powerful growth engine and your best protection from competitive inroads is this: put every thing you can into cultivating true customer loyalty. Loyal customers are less sensitive to price competition, more forgiving of small glitches, and, ultimately, become "walking billboards" who will happily promote your brand. In Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit insiders Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon reveal the secrets of providing online and offline customer service so superior it nearly guarantees loyalty. Their anticipatory customer service approach was first developed at The Ritz-Carlton as well as at Solomon's entertainment and technology company Oasis, and has since proven itself in countless companies around the globe from luxury giant BVLGARI to value-sensitive auto parts leader Carquest, and everywhere in between. Now, readers can take the techniques that minted money for these brands and apply them directly to their own businesses. As Ken Blanchard writes, "Leonardo and Micah's philosophies, rules, and winning examples of service excellence will make you want to implement their suggestions immediately in your own organization." Filled with detailed, behind-the-scenes examples, the book unlocks a new level of customer relationship that leaves your competitors in the dust, your customers coming back day after day, and your bottom line looking better than it ever has before.
Honors received:
* A Jack Covert Selection
* CEO Refresher Top Ten Best Business Book of the Year
* 800-CEO-READ Business Book of the Year Awards Shortlist winner
* Philadelphia Bulletin "Must Read" business book
* Book of the Month, Las Vegas Women's REALTOR®
* DearReader.com Business Book Club Selection
* Shanghai Daily Press #1 U.S. Business Book
"If you want to deliver a superior client experience, then have every employee read this book. That's what we've done. This volume is simply that profound, that good." Jim S. Miller, President, Prime Performance | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Leonardo Inghilleri | | Hardcover:
| 170 pages | | Publisher:
| AMACOM | | Publication Date:
| April 07, 2010 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0814415385 | | Product Length:
| 9.1 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.2 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.9 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.95 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.1 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 46 reviews |
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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33 of 35 found the following review helpful:
Live introduction to the customer principles of this book from Micah Solomon (co-author)Apr 05, 2010
By ML
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1AY2PV6PW2OGB Author and customer service speaker Micah Solomon's keynote speech to the NCBS Retail Banking Conference at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas (8 minute excerpt): This Customer Service Keynote is an introduction to the principles inExceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization's principles. (8 minute excerpt)
This keynote speech was filmed in front of an audience of bankers at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas in June 2011.
{More live speaking excerpts and info available at customerserviceguru DOT com}
17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
This book got me quickly thinking about how to make customers more loyal - the key provide anticipatory service!May 23, 2011
By Blaine Greenfield
"eclectic reader"
When I saw EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE, EXCEPTIONAL PROFIT (AMACOM) by Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon, I thought to myself, "Oh, no, still another book on customer service." Even the subtitle. THE SECRETS OF BUILDING A FIVE-STAR CUSTOMER SERVICE ORGANIZATION, indicated that might be the case.
But was I ever wrong! The authors immediately got me interested in finding out more through their use of success stories from such companies as The Ritz-Carlton and Lexus, as well as how the principles were applied by such online firms as Netflix and CD Baby.
In addition, they quickly got me thinking about how to make customers more loyal--with one key way being the need to provide anticipatory service vs. merely reacting to customers.
Some of their examples, though seemingly basic, blew me away--such as this one:
*To help launch their Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel brand, initially, founding President and Chief Operating Officer Horst Schulze and his team decided on a set of ideal phrases for use in conversation with customers, then trained employees to use those phrases. The frequent use of certain phrases helped unify their employees around a shared identity and contributed to a distinctive "Ritz style" that the public could easily recognize: phrases like "my pleasure," "Right away," "Certainly," and -a personal favorite-"We're fully committed tonight." (Translation: "We're booked solid, bub!" The list of words and phrases to be avoided included folks, hey, you guys, and okay.
I also loved this technique for how to preemptively unwad your staff's shorts:
* When your own employees first hear you taking the customer's side, don't expect them to be thrilled. ("Does my boss blame me? Does she actually believe that idiot's version of what happened?") You need to explain that it's often necessary to empathize with and even amplify the customer's side of the story. Explain that the customer may or may not be right in an objective sense. Regardless, you're going to be disproportionately sympathetic to the customer's viewpoint because the customer is your boss-the customer pays your paycheck, along with the paychecks of everyone in the company.
Human nature being what it is, this explanation will bear repeating. Often.
Lastly, I often wonder why more companies don't utilize this technique:
* Even in a mundane situation, this simple understanding, starting from day one, can make all the difference. Have you ever been to a shopping mall and stared, obviously bewildered at the map-while a security guard idly stands there "protecting" you, all of two feet away? Did the security guard proactively help you out with an "Anything I can help you find?" If he worked for us, he would have. At orientation, we would have started him off understanding his higher purpose: to create a great shopping experience for guests. Sure, that could include deterring and apprehending bad guys, but it also includes attending to shoppers who have that unmistakable lost look on their faces.
Even as I type the above, I realize that EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE, EXCEPTIONAL PROFIT is a book that I'm going to want to revisit. If you read it, you'll become as convinced as I am that Ingehilleri and Solomon have ideas that can be applied to virtually any company or organization--including yours.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Top-notch customer service manualOct 04, 2010
By Rolf Dobelli
"getAbstract"
What Apple is to innovation and Rolex is to quality Ritz-Carlton is to service. Consider the luxury hotel chain's famous $2,000 customer-satisfaction pledge. This remarkable program, now in place for decades, allows any Ritz-Carlton employee, regardless of rank, to decide alone to spend up to $2,000 to resolve any customer problem. To date, no Ritz-Carlton employee has felt it necessary to spend the full amount on behalf of a customer, but many take creative action to address problems promptly. This policy sends a powerful signal to Ritz-Carlton clients and employees about how much the company values quality and service. In their book, service experts Micah Solomon and Leonardo Inghilleri teach you how to plan and implement an exceptional service program. getAbstract cheers this nicely written book. It is a pleasure to read and it explains exceptional service clearly.
15 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Take Your Customer Satisfaction to the Next LevelApr 28, 2010
By Brad Shimp
"Small business advice blogger at All Business Answers"
Customer service is an important element for any successful small business. It also can be a bit of a struggle at times, especially when hiring new people and expecting them to give the same attention to detail as you do. Further, many companies pride themselves on good customer service, but do little to systematize it and really turn it into something special. Enter Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon, customer service trailblazers and co-authors of the book Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit.
From the book: "The magic happens when you, your systems, and the employees throughout the ranks of your business anticipate the needs of your customers, learning to recognize and respond to the needs of your customers before they are expressed - sometimes before your customers even realize they have a need. That is the difference between providing ho-hum service by merely reacting to customer requests and building loyalty through true anticipatory service."
This book focuses on one key area of your business, your customer service. No matter how good you think you are doing it right now, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Leonardo and Micah have both separately built amazing businesses based around customer service, Leonardo in the hotel industry and Micah in the music industry. They know what they are talking about when it comes to providing good customer service. Even better, they are really good at showing you how you can improve your own service levels.
When it comes to providing exceptional service, every little thing matters. As overwhelming as this may sound, this book provides some pretty good frameworks for systems you can put in place to make sure each detail is covered. Beyond the systems, you need to focus on hiring the right people and getting employees on the same page when it comes to treating the customer right. Every single employee who might have an interaction with a customer should understand the stakes.
The authors also point out that, while every interaction is important, there are three main areas to focus on if you want to make a big impact. The first area is how you handle an issue, or what they call a service failure. When you have a customer upset because something goes wrong, it is not enough to just restore the situation back to what it should have been in the first place. Fixing an issue is a chance for you to shine, and turn an upset customer into a loyal fan. Putting extraordinary effort into recovering from mistakes will go a long way toward making your customers love you.
The other two areas of high importance are your hello and your goodbye. The first interaction with the customer and the last will often stand out in their mind. A warm and personal hello sets the stage for a great customer experience. A caring good bye seals the deal.
Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit will challenge the norms you have accepted for customer service. You will likely see some ways that you can improve, and this book will both inspire you and show you how to do it. In a business world that is being made more personal by things like social media, and with the internet making it much easier for customers to choose from multiple competitors, you need to make sure the customer is king at your business.
Who This Book is For:
Any business who deals with customers on any level (in other words, every business, including internet businesses that don't have a lot of "face-to-face" interaction with customers)
Business owners who want to hire employees who will care about customers as much as they do
Customer service managers and employees
Businesses who pride themselves on customer service
Businesses looking to create more loyal customers
12 of 15 found the following review helpful:
How to manual for providing exceptional serviceMay 03, 2010
By Brian Schoenbaechler
"climb2ski"
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RFY7I0PH8B3EZ April Book Review from SBC Fulfillment Blog: [...]
Background: I added this book to my Amazon wish list, which in turn posts to my FriendFeed account. Micah Solomon found my post on Friend Feed and sent me an advance (signed) copy, pretty "exceptional service." Micah is the small business guy who founded Oasis Disc Manufacturing. Leonardo is best known for his work with the Ritz Carlton.
Main Points: The main points I took away from the book can be summed up in language, anticipation, and tracking.
Language: The need to be intentional about the language you and your employees use. This includes words to use, not use, and words that are "banned."
Anticipate: Exceptional customer service comes from anticipating your customer's needs. Anyone can hand a towel to a customer who asks for one, but an "exceptional company" hands you one before you have the chance to ask.
Measure: You NEED a system to track your customers likes and dislikes. Additionally, you can track top problem for continuous improvement programs.
Take Away: Your customer service program must be intentional and must incorporate training that constantly reinforces your program.
Conclusion: Great advice from some world class companies. The pages contain golden nuggets for companies big and small (like mine). My only criticism is I would like to see more case studies. Overall this book is a must read. Highly recommended.
See all 46 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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