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Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service
A step-by-step guide to designing and implementing an amazing customer service culture In today's competitive business environment, keeping customers happy is the key to long-term success. But some businesses provide much better customer service than others. It's not always clear what works and what doesn't, and implementing new customer service practices midstream can be a difficult, chaotic task. Business leaders who want to transform their business culture into one of customer service excellence need reliable, proven guidance. Unleashing Excellence gives you practical tools and step-by-step guidance tailored to your company's individual customer service needs. It shows you how to navigate your teams through every step of the implementation process to achieve true customer service excellence. The book covers the training and education of your group, how to measure the quality of your service, how to build a culture of personal accountability, and how to recognize excellence and reward it. Fully revised to include updated information on the latest tools and best practices, as well as the stories and lessons learned from those organizations that have used the process described in the book. Customer service is vital to the survival of your business. If you want to move your organization's customer service practices from good to great, Unleashing Excellence is the key.
- GenresBusiness
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 22, 2012
In this book the authors outline an action plan, made up of nine elements, to "inculturate" service excellence (excerpted):
"1) Create the Service Improvement Team(...) Action Steps: a) Try to select 8 to 12 members at the most. b) Ensure that the team represents a cross-section of the organization c) Have as many senior level members as possible on the first Service Improvement Team. Members need to have the authority to get things done. d) Draft the team charter.
2) Develop the organization's Service Philosophy and Service Standards(...) The service Philosophy answers two questions: what we do? how we do it?...Guidelines for Developing your service standards: Each standard on the final list should be unique from every other standard...Each standard should be actionable...The standards must focus on customer service.
3) Develop and execute on ongoing service Communication and Awareness plan(...) Communication during the awareness stage - what employees need: information...Communication during the awkwardness stage - what employees need: reassurance...Communication during the assimilation stage - what employees need: what's new about the service effort.
4) Create and execute a plan for ongoing service Training and Education(...) Training for the frontline employees should: 1) Ensure consistent understanding of the service improvement process. 2) Share best practices regarding service excellence. 3) Develop personal action plans for service excellence. 4) Communicate next steps.
5) Adapt the Interviewing and Selecting processes to include all elements of the service culture(...) Action Steps: a) Observe and interview your best employees in order to uncover their service talents. b) Enlist your service superstars in your recruiting efforts. c) Track how the best employees were recruited to your company. d) Model your company's values during the interview process.
6) Create and implement a service Measurement process(...) Keys to local measurement success: a) Local measurements should be linked to the overall service improvement effort...b)The workgroup should be able to impact the factors they measure...c) The act of measuring shouldn't negatively impact the customer experience...d) Improvement in one service factor shouldn't negatively impact another service factor.
7) Develop appropriate Recognition/celebration processes that reinforce the service culture(...) Action steps: a) Ensure that recognition is strategically linked to the overall service improvement effort. b) Create mechanisms that encourage recognition at all levels of the organization. c) Review current recognition practices to determine if they are consistent the Service Standards and contain an emotional component. d) Provide special recognition for your stellar performers. e) Communicate and train all management and frontline employees on the importance of recognizing service excellence."
8) Implement a Service Obstacle System for identifying and addressing barriers to service excellence(...) One of the most important jobs of a leader in a service improvement initiative is to help remove obstacles that keep employees from giving great service.
9) Build a Management Accountability system that ensures commitment to ongoing service excellence(...) The three-legged stool suggests that leaders should be accountable for three broad areas: a) The customer experience. b) The employee experience. c) Business results."
"1) Create the Service Improvement Team(...) Action Steps: a) Try to select 8 to 12 members at the most. b) Ensure that the team represents a cross-section of the organization c) Have as many senior level members as possible on the first Service Improvement Team. Members need to have the authority to get things done. d) Draft the team charter.
2) Develop the organization's Service Philosophy and Service Standards(...) The service Philosophy answers two questions: what we do? how we do it?...Guidelines for Developing your service standards: Each standard on the final list should be unique from every other standard...Each standard should be actionable...The standards must focus on customer service.
3) Develop and execute on ongoing service Communication and Awareness plan(...) Communication during the awareness stage - what employees need: information...Communication during the awkwardness stage - what employees need: reassurance...Communication during the assimilation stage - what employees need: what's new about the service effort.
4) Create and execute a plan for ongoing service Training and Education(...) Training for the frontline employees should: 1) Ensure consistent understanding of the service improvement process. 2) Share best practices regarding service excellence. 3) Develop personal action plans for service excellence. 4) Communicate next steps.
5) Adapt the Interviewing and Selecting processes to include all elements of the service culture(...) Action Steps: a) Observe and interview your best employees in order to uncover their service talents. b) Enlist your service superstars in your recruiting efforts. c) Track how the best employees were recruited to your company. d) Model your company's values during the interview process.
6) Create and implement a service Measurement process(...) Keys to local measurement success: a) Local measurements should be linked to the overall service improvement effort...b)The workgroup should be able to impact the factors they measure...c) The act of measuring shouldn't negatively impact the customer experience...d) Improvement in one service factor shouldn't negatively impact another service factor.
7) Develop appropriate Recognition/celebration processes that reinforce the service culture(...) Action steps: a) Ensure that recognition is strategically linked to the overall service improvement effort. b) Create mechanisms that encourage recognition at all levels of the organization. c) Review current recognition practices to determine if they are consistent the Service Standards and contain an emotional component. d) Provide special recognition for your stellar performers. e) Communicate and train all management and frontline employees on the importance of recognizing service excellence."
8) Implement a Service Obstacle System for identifying and addressing barriers to service excellence(...) One of the most important jobs of a leader in a service improvement initiative is to help remove obstacles that keep employees from giving great service.
9) Build a Management Accountability system that ensures commitment to ongoing service excellence(...) The three-legged stool suggests that leaders should be accountable for three broad areas: a) The customer experience. b) The employee experience. c) Business results."
June 5, 2011
A very good book put together by Dennis Snow and Teri Yanovitch. If your company is looking to upgrade customer service to excellence then this should be a must read. Dennis and Teri lay out a very specific and great plan to unleashing excellence for your customers and within your organization.
June 15, 2012
Great concepts, but need to be owner of process to initiate. Concepts can be applied from lower ranks though.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews