We all realize how important customers are. We all know what will help build a good relationship with our customers. Yet so often it is done badly. Unlike great products and low prices, great customer service is hard to copy. In a fiercely competitive world, differentiation is the name of the game. Capturing Customers' Hearts analyzes companies where the product or the company itself generates a special reaction in a customer, something much more than brand loyalty -- true affection. Building 12 components of charisma on the foundation of service delivery, it uses examples of best and worst practice to pinpoint the forces that will win new customers, keep them and capture their hearts. Capture your customers' hearts -- their loyalty will follow. There has been a crucial focus on customer service for at least 15 years. So does this mean that we can concentrate on the next big thing? Not a chance. Survey after survey has shown that really good customer service is still the exception. And with customer expectations higher than ever, and the competition not standing still -- especially with the emergence of the wired world -- an outstanding customer relationship is the only safe way of building differentiation. To make a customer relationship the driving force behind repeat business and differentiation calls for a quantum shift in thinking and doing; from customer friendliness to customer charisma. A business with charisma gives the customer something very special. When you deal with a business with charisma, you want to tell others about it. You want to share your feelings. This book is about giving your business charisma. Capturing Customers' Hearts analyzes what lies behind customers' emotional attachment to a product or service, and teaches you how to create customer charisma so that not only is your company winning new customers, but is keeping its existing ones. You'll never look at your customers in the same way again. Reviews "Essential reading -- every page presents insights and facts that are now crucial to differentiation and success." Adrian E. Lucas, CEO, Imerge Limited "Yet again Brian goes to the heart of the issue giving an inspired insight into the realities of managing customer relationships. A must for companies who want to stand out like a beacon by going the extra light year for their customers!" Tony Solomon, Marketing Communications Director, Zurich IFA Group "Brian Clegg's new book is a 'tour de force'. It ranges wide over the vast terrain of customer service as well as digging deep into some of the fundamental issues that still need to be addressed. Not only did I learn a lot from this excellent book but I found it incredibly enjoyable to read." David Freemantle, author, The Stimulus Factor "Provides brilliant insights into attracting and retaining customers." Tim Robison, Director, Lucent Technologies
Brian has written a number of popular science books, including Ecologic, The God Effect, on the most remarkable phenomenon of the quantum world and Before the Big Bang. Other titles include A Brief History of Infinity and Inflight Science, which explores the science that's all around you and outside your window when you are on an airplane.
Along with appearances at the Royal Institution in London he has spoken at venues from Oxford and Cambridge Universities to Cheltenham Festival of Science, has contributed to radio and TV programmes, and is a popular speaker at schools. Brian is also editor of the successful www.popularscience.co.uk book review site and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Brian has Masters degrees from Cambridge University in Natural Sciences and from Lancaster University in Operational Research, a discipline originally developed during the Second World War to apply the power of mathematics to warfare. It has since been widely applied to problem solving and decision making in business.
From Lancaster, he joined British Airways, where he ran teams including Emerging Technologies, amongst the most eccentric but talented staff in the company, who researched technologies from fingerprint recognition to electronic cash. This emphasis on innovation led to training with Dr. Edward de Bono, and in 1994 he left BA to set up his own creativity consultancy, running courses on the development of new ideas and products, and the creative solution of business problems. Clients include the BBC, the Met Office, British Airways, GlaxoSmithKline, Sony, The Treasury, Royal Bank of Scotland and many other blue-chips.
Brian has also written regular columns, features and reviews for numerous publications, including Nature, The Guardian, PC Week, Computer Weekly, Personal Computer World, Innovative Leader, Professional Manager, BBC History, Good Housekeeping and House Beautiful. His books have been translated into many languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Thai and even Indonesian.
