University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Service Culture Handbook
Book

The Service Culture Handbook

A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Employees Obsessed with Customer Service

Jeff Toister
Jeff Toister, 2017
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Editorial Rating

8

Recommendation

Customer service expert Jeff Toister explains how companies can develop a corporate culture in which employees obsess about providing top-flight customer service. Social media’s ubiquity and awesome reach mean that companies must perform at the pinnacle of service for every customer in every transaction. If even one customer interaction goes awry and the customer posts a single negative story online, it can have ruinous consequences. Toister explains how much detail quality customer service demands, how to deliver service that draws and retains consumers, and how to engage and reward employees who become heroes of customer service. getAbstract recommends his informative guide to senior executives, and HR and customer service professionals. 

Summary

Every Interaction Matters

A cashier at the typical retailer deals with 20 or more customers per hour. On a typical flight, four attendants serve approximately 150 passengers. The typical service call center helps at least 10 customers each hour. If even one of these interactions goes bad and the customer posts a negative review online, the consequences can devastate a company given the ubiquity and wide reach of social media. In this environment, companies must invest in customer service.

Taking Care of the Littlest Customers 

Tony D’Aiuto, Tampa International Airport’s airport operations center manager, had a great idea about an improvement in customer service. Sometimes, small children would lose beloved stuffed animals, so he decided that when someone claimed a lost stuffed animal, he would take photos of it in various settings around the airport. This would give children the impression that their stuffed buddy enjoyed fun airport adventures while waiting to be found. Then, D’Aiuto would return the stuffed animal with...

About the Author

Jeff Toister is a certified learning and performance professional who works with customer service teams. He offers a popular video-based training courses on LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com). Global Gurus named him one of the world’s top 30 customer service professionals.

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