Customer Reviews

On Great Service: A Framework for Action

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I recently re-read this book (1996) and Berry's subsequently published Discovering the Soul of Service (1999), curious to know how well they have held up since they were first published. My conclusion? Rock-solid. In fact, both books are even more relevant - and more valuable - now than they were when Leonard Berry wrote them. That is amazing...and commendable. In this volume, he presents what he characterizes as "a framework for action" to provide and then sustain great service. The word "sustain" is critically important. Those organizations whose people always provide great service (e.g. Nordstrom, Ritz-Carlton, The Container Store) consider perfection break-even.

Berry carefully organizes his material within 13 chapters. In the first, he introduces the aforementioned "framework for action" (Exhibit 1-1 on page 5); in the last, he shares his thoughts about "the artistry of great service." As he convincingly explains, great service is both an art and a science...and is the result of several factors which include a total commitment, enterprise-wide, to specific principles. "The purpose of this book is to teach the lessons of service quality [begin italics] implementation [end italics]. The book focuses exclusively on [begin italics] how [end italics] to improve service quality." With regard to the aforementioned principles. Berry observes that customers are most likely to do business with companies that "are reliable, excellent in interactive service, prepared to cover if the service fails, and eminently fair. These principles are the essence of service excellence." And they always will be.

I especially appreciate Berry's focus on real-world situations in which these principles are clearly demonstrated. Specifically, in a variety of companies which include Longo Toyota and Lexus, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Hard Rock Café, Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Bank One Texas Trust Division, and Harold's. These exemplary organizations illustrate how to deliver great service, one customer at a time, day after day, month after month. Of course, that is not easy to do. "Nothing in this book suggests that the excellent service journey is easy. It is not. But it is immensely rewarding, not just financially, but spiritually. Excellence nourishes the soul."

In the final chapter, Berry explains what "the artistry of great service," not only to customers and service-providers but indeed to entire organizations and even industries. With the passion of an evangelist but with the precision of a surgeon, he reviews all of the essential ingredients of great service. They include leadership enterprise-wide, a fundamental belief in human potential, having a reason for being...and doing, informed decision-making, collaborative, and an inspiration to excel. Are these "old fashioned values"? Of course. But keep in mind that Fortune magazine's annual list of the most profitable companies includes the names of many which are also on its annual list of the most highly admired companies. Year after year. That is not a coincidence.

Berry's thinking is so clear and his insights are so sound that this book (although written more than ten years ago) will continue to guide and inform any organization's efforts to complete its "journey" from good to great service, whatever the size and nature of that organization may be.

Even though this book was first published on 1996, the framework presented by Mr. Berry to achieve Extraordinary Customer Service is still valuable and actual. It has 13 chapters and each one gives a pure meaning of every treated subject. It's not another Customer Service book...It's an strategy customer service book.

Mr. Berry's insights can be applied from Face to Face to Call Center environments and it's a must-read to Top-Executives that have started a company focus change and are wondering why it's the innitiative failing or getting down the hills. The answers could probably be: Your company it's not competing for talented people, has not embrace the technology, has not empowered your front line teams or the most elementary one...maybe have not created yet a Customer Service strategy since the beginning (Of course, where everyone in the company was included, not only you). All this answers are ON GREAT SERVICE.

Extraordinary book.

This is as good as it gets on service quality. Leneord Berry is great!

LEONARD BERY SE CONSAGRA COMO UNO DE LOS PRINCIPALES AUTORES SOBRE EL SERVICIO Y LA MERCADOTECNIA DE SERVICIOS. MEJORAR LA CALIDAD DEL SERVICIO AL CLIENTE ES HOY UNA PRIORIDAD Y BERRY ES UN VISIONARIO DE ESTO. NO LO DEJEN DE LEER.