University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Discovering the Soul of Service
Book

Discovering the Soul of Service

The Nine Drivers of Sustainable Business Success

Leonard L. Berry
Free Press, 1999
Buy book or audiobook

Read offline

Amazon Kindle

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Leonard L. Berry takes an in-depth look at how service can sustain the success of a business in this detailed, footnoted exploration that includes plenty of interviews and examples from the business world. Written authoritatively, yet conversationally, this book outshines similar works because of its thoroughness. Far from a quick-fix, self-help business guide, the book is thoughtful and doesn’t rely on the obvious. getAbstract recommends it to managers and leaders in all businesses, particularly if your competitive edge rests on pleasing your customers.

Summary

Sustaining Service Success

Since customers expect products to be of high quality, service is the element that most often separates one competitor from another. The most important factor in the success of a service business isn’t corporate practice, but humane values. Values-driven leadership is one of the nine key elements of service success. The full list is:

  1. Values-driven leadership.
  2. Focus.
  3. Excellent execution.
  4. Trust-based relationships.
  5. Generosity.
  6. Investment in employee success.
  7. "Acting small."
  8. Controlling your own destiny.
  9. Cultivating your brand to drive customer satisfaction, innovation and growth.

You can incorporate these key customer-service values in your business by noting the experiences of award-winning companies that practice this approach to service.

These companies include Bergstrom Hotels, the Charles Schwab Corporation, Chick-fil-A, The Container Store, Custom Research, Inc., Dana Commercial Credit, Dial-A-Mattress, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Midwest Express Airlines, Miller SQA, Special Expeditions, St. Paul Saints, USAA and Ukrop’s Super Markets.

Three ...

About the Author

Leonard L. Berry  holds the J.C. Penney Chair of Retailing Studies, and is professor of marketing and director of the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University. A former national president of the American Marketing Association, he is the author of eight other books, including On Great Service He is a board member of CompUSA, Hastings Entertainment, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Comment on this summary