Monitoring, Measuring, & Managing Customer Service

People always remember the times they encounter great service, as well as those encounters that aren't especially pleasant. In Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, Fortune 500 consultant Gary Goodman offers advice for ensuring customers recall the former rather than the latter when they think of your company. "Excellence in customer service doesn't come about accidentally," he writes at the outset. He then outlines the basic ingredients that make it an "everyday experience" over the telephone or in person--factors such as an eagerness to solve problems, delivery of performance or satisfaction guarantees, and presentation of unexpected extras. Goodman spells out specific ways to foster such proactive behavior among your work force, along with practical methods that measure their effectiveness. His tips include explicit suggestions for improving communication (i.e., have voice tones crest rather than decline, make sure pronunciation is clear, use "active listening" techniques); checking up on employee conduct (through techniques like customer surveys and direct observation, with the pros and cons of each process examined); and gauging the ultimate effectiveness of these efforts (through detailed assessment procedures for employees, team leaders, and managers). --Howard Rothman