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Serving Internal and External Customers
Anne Swartzlander, Pellissippi State Technical Community College

ISBN-10: 013028341X
ISBN-13: 9780130283412

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright: 2004
Format: Paper; 304 pp
Published: 08/08/2003

Suggested retail price: $58.20
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For courses in Customer Service, Marketing Principles in two-year vocational/technical schools, and related classes in Business Education.

This unique text uses a model with customers at its center, integrating an organization's service philosophy and strategy, its systems, and its people-management policies that enable it to succeed in the 21st century business environment. With its comprehensive coverage of customer service communication “best practices,”Customer Service” provides innovative concepts and techniques appropriate for both experienced and entry-level customer service providers.

  • First full semester textbook in Customer Service.

    • Provides full classroom support for 16-week curriculum.

  • Comprehensive coverage of communication “best practices”—Featuring the Customer Service Communication Skills Project and Report, an individual skill-building project.

    • Improves students' skills by goal-setting, planning, implementing, and monitoring their knowledge; provides instructors with course evaluation.

  • Legitimate communication guidelines—Documents sources for research on listening effectiveness and guidelines.

    • Provides students with evidence for prescriptive instruction, convincing them that these lessons really work.

  • An integrated approach—Combines marketing, management, and other functions in an organization through the use of an organizing model.

    • Shows students the value of customer service as it is integrated with other disciplines.

  • Telephone scenario exercises.

    • Enables students to learn from hands-on practical application.

  • Case studies and Internet exercises—Spur class discussion.

    • Allows students to think critically about customer relations and service.

  • “Multicultural Customer Service” chapter.

    • Enables students to use a text that provides information about the changing ethnic makeup of customers in today's business world.

  • Comprehensive Instructor Package—Includes a website that features PowerPoint slides, a manual, and tests.

    • Provides instructors with ease in teaching the course. Improves students' notetaking during lectures with impressive PowerPoint slide presentations.

1. CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Definition of Customer Service.

Customers' Perceptions of the Quality of Services.

Importance of Customer Service.

Relationship of Customer Service to Marketing, Operations, and Human Resources.

Customer Service Model.

Exercise—Be Your Own Customer.

2. CUSTOMER SERVICE STATEGY AND SYSTEMS.

Customer Service Model.

Customer Service Strategy.

Characteristics of an Exceptional Customer Service Strategy.

Customer Experience Strategy.

Service Fairness.

Definition of Systems.

Characteristics of Exceptional Customer Service Systems.

Systems Improvement.

Exercise—Blueprinting and Analyzing a System.

3. CUSTOMERS.

External and Internal Customers.

Customer Loyalty.

Customer Needs and Expectations.

Customer Expectations and Loyalty Research.

Benefits of Exceptional Customer Service.

Costs of Exceptional Customer Service.

Project—Mystery Shopping.

4. PEOPLE.

The People Component.

Internal Customer Service.

Frontline Employees' Role.

Employee Satisfaction Equals Customer Satisfaction.

Factors Contributing to Employee Satisfaction.

Next-Generation Workforce.

Case—The Root Cause of the Problem.

5. EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

Elements of Exceptional Performance.

Positive and Negative Attitudes and Mind-Sets.

Emotional Intelligence.

Self-Talk.

Personal Style Tendencies.

Teamwork.

Personal Management Techniques.

Project—Customer Service Communication Skills.

6. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION.

Importance of Nonverbal Communication.

Definition and Functions of Nonverbal Communication.

Body Language.

Voice Cues.

Use of Space.

Touch.

Artifactual Communication.

Time.

Case—I Contact.

7. VERBAL COMMUNICATION.

Importance of Verbal Communication.

Acceptable Verbal Communication.

Unacceptable Verbal Communication.

Difficult Conversations.

Written Communication.

Business Etiquette.

Civility in the Workplace.

Case—Insufficient Service.

8. LISTENING.

Importance of Listening Skills.

Effectiveness of Listening.

Stages of Listening.

Listening Barriers.

Types of Listening.

Individual Differences.

Developing Better Listening Skills.

Case—Not Mulch Listening.

9. TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION.

Effective Telephone Communication.

Best Practices.

Pre-Greeting Best Practices.

Greeting Best Practices.

Conversation Best Practices.

Closing Best Practices.

Telephone Actions.

Telephone Specialty Features.

Wireless Communication.

Case—Lack of All Aid.

10. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION.

Technology.

Automated Response Systems.

E-Mail Communication.

Importance of E-Mail Communication.

E-Mail Issues.

E-Mail Management.

Netiquette.

E-Mail Format.

E-Mail Composition.

E-Mail Operations.

E-Mail Response Management Systems.

Company Websites.

Fax Communication.

Case—Taxing Obfuscation.

11. PROBLEM SOLVING.

Customer Service Problems.

Thinking.

Styles and Thinking.

Environment and Thinking.

Creativity.

Mind Mapping.

Brainstorming.

Consensus Decision Making.

Conflict Resolution.

Exercise—Conflict Resolution.

12. EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Exceptional Customer Service in Challenging Situations.

Dissatisfied or Angry Customers.

Mistaken Customers.

Problem Customers.

Customer Responsibilities.

Diverse Customers.

Multicultural Customers.

Adaptation.

Customers with Disabilities.

Emotional Labor.

Case—Nowhere You Want to Be.

13. CUSTOMER PROBLEM RESOLUTION AND RECOVERY.

Customer Complaint Behavior.

Problem Resolution and Recovery Strategies.

Problem Resolution and Recovery Systems.

Problem Resolution and Recovery Procedures.

Case—Differential Indifference.

Index. 

Anne Swartzlander brings to this title a range of professional and teaching experience. She brings decades of experience in management, business development, research, and retail sales.

Dr. Swartzlander has her Ph.D. from Ohio State University in Consumer Economics. She has taught at several major universities including the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee. She was recently nominated for the American Marketing Association's Distinguished Marketing Professor award.

Exceptional customer service leads to customer loyalty and retention and, ultimately, to organizational success. It happens whenever, wherever and however customers interact with the organization.

Strategy, Systems and People topics are presented in a manner that allows the reader to share experience, broaden perspectives and supplement existing skills.

Research and expert commentary substantiate and demonstrate the effects that make a difference to any organizations bottom line.

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