Customer Reviews

Secret Service: Hidden Systems That Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Secret Service is one of the few business books (that is not a narrative case study) that is actually enjoyable to read. John Dijulius, owner of John Robert's Hair Studio & Spa, comments on how his business and many others see customer service not as a necessary evil but as integral to (if not entirely) their product.

While the hair and spa industry is primarily a service industry, Dijulius goes far beyond, dealing with how retail and even distribution companies can better serve their customers and the rewards that those who do will reap. His examples include some of the more obvious ones practitioners as Southwest Airlines and Nordstrom's as well as a number of lesser-known businesses from a variety of industries. In many cases, he highlights businesses that he has had personal experience with, thus illustrating how a satisfied customer can be much more profitable than any marketing that you can buy.

Dijulius also highlights the economics of increasing the value of (and to) your existing customers by reminding them when they may need a product or service and making sure that they are happy after the purchase. He highlights a variety of systems that he and others use to do this such as follow-up thank you cards, newsletters and personalized notes on invoices.

He also reminds us that employee satisfaction is just as important as customer satisfaction (and in fact, directly leads to customer satisfaction). He highlights systems that his spa has used to retain their best employees and avoid the expense of training, while ensuring consistent service quality for their customers.

This is a how to serve your customer better and grow your business book of the first order. More importantly, it is concise, personable, and remarkably enjoyable to read. This is a must read for anyone working at or managing a business that wants more customers.

Every business deals with a customer, therefore every business provides a form of customer service--how good is yours? No matter what level you're on, reading this book will certainly improve it! DiJulius has incredble insight into connecting different industries to benefit not only each other, but their customers as well. These ideas, while incredibly brilliant, are easy to understand and implement. I have found the information to be so profound that I've actually revamped our company's orientation for new employees based on it!

Even though I am in the same industry as the author, this book is full of great ideas any business could use to implement systems to improve their customer service. We have used many of the ideas with great results. Mr. DiJulius gives you these wonderful ideas and how to implement them. If you read his book you'll see why his company is so successful. I require my staff to read this book when they are hired. This is one of my favorite business books!

When my boss told me he wanted me to read a book on customer service, I cringed at the thought of reading another one of those "the customer is always right" publications. Secret Service, however, was something TOTALLY different! We are growing our business and it will be wonderful to put in place some of these secret service techniques before we hire additional people. Everyone will come in and be on the same page. In a time when customer service seems to be no more than a catch phrase, John Dijulius shows you how to take it above and beyond. We're already set to be the best at what we do, now we can also be the best at how we do it!

John DiJulius inspires us with myriad ways to provide memorable customer service. It is both the steak AND the sizzle that provide customers with an experience that makes them want to come back. The author gives so many examples of ways to add sizzle to our customer service that using a small fraction of his ideas can pay big returns for your business and can turn customers into cheerleaders.

If you work in a spa/salon, whether as a therapist or in management, this book is a MUST READ!!! It provides great examples of how to improve customer service, regardless of industry. But if you work in the spa/salon industry this will be especially helpful.
After reading the book, I even suggested implementing some protocals to my boss. As a massage therapist, I found that even some simple suggestions have greatly improved my dealing with clients. This book is worth every penny. I hope he comes out with a follow up one day!

This is a book that I reccomend to all of my franchise stores that I support. This is a glossary or handbook of great service and marketing. There is no reinventing the wheel in this little book but a refernce of the tried and true. Each example is supported with results and successes. The multiple companies referred to are known companies who lead their markets in service.

I encourage my stores to take a highlighter to this book of concepts and write notes in the margins. They will refer to this book often. This is 165 pages of good information.

I was impressed by how well this book, documented not only the necessary systems for customer service but included great ideas on business practice. It is definitely a great book for companies who want to provide excellence in customer service, and also provide their employees/management with the ability to know how to handle any situation. This book was easy to read, and provided great examples of how you can use hidden systems to better any company, know matter what industry. A must read for anyone in sales or customer relations.

This is a great book on two levels. First, it has information that works. The concepts are tested and proven. Second, it is easy to understand. John Dijulius shows us how to put it to use in our business. The examples are clear and even fun to read. I can't imagine any person or business not getting great ideas that they can put to use right away.

This will probably be the shortest review I have ever written. Let me put this book in context for those of you looking for an excellent book on how to run a successful salon. I ordered every book I could find on the net about running a succcessful salon. I read them all......this one was 5 fold better than any of the others I read. If you want to drive business in your salon, buy this book!