7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book!, January 13, 2003
This is the first book I've read on the topic of customer experience and loyalty that truly inspired ME! This is a lively and engaging book with a great point of view. It's written from the customer's perspective- a very interesting and refreshing twist on an important topic.
But why aren't companies doing a better job of providing the exceptional experiences the author talks about in her book? It was certainly an eye opener for me! Glad I found it when I did.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great insights with practical "what do I do now" guidance, December 16, 2002
By A Customer
This book is a great read the first time and one that I go back to time after time. Why? First of all, it's written with a snappy rhythm that is easy to read and simultaneously energizes me. Mooney is well versed in the patterns and practices of big names like Victoria's Secret, Krispy Kreme, Oprah and Starbucks, but she also introduces us to lesser known companies and the secrets that are helping them build their business.
At the end of each Demandment chapter, she includes a self-evaluation "quiz" that reflect the substance of the demandment to enable the reader to identify if they are making or breaking the demandment. This is a great resource for marketing/business consultants or for people working in-house and need help seeing the forest through the trees.
Most importantly, this book represents the CUSTOMER'S point of view - the one that matters most these days. Business owners - big and small - would do well to embrace the wisdom and practical advice Mooney offers.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So, you really think your company is customer friendly?, November 26, 2005
This review is from: The Ten Demandments: Rules to Live By in the Age of the Demanding Customer (Paperback)
Don't be so sure your company - or ever yourself - is all that consumer friendly because after taking Kelly Mooney's self-assessments at the end of each chapter, you might be depressed. While its a cliche, it is true: the rules of engagement have changed. Today's exceptional, differentiated products and services are tomorrow's expectation and demands in the age of the well-informed, technology-empowered consumer. While not a book about the internet, Kelly Mooney's book here illustrates how the internet has armed today's consumer with more information, options and price comparisons - all at the speed of light. This is just one factor that has led to the consumer calling the shots more and more and who now just does not have needs, but true DEMANDS. And the businesses that understand this and empower their customers with the information, privacy and control they now demand will emerge the most successful. Those who do not will fall by the wayside.
Lots of marketing books are from the reference point of a business or brand forward: how to get more sales and increase brand awareness of your product. But, Kelly Mooney shows the view only from the stressed-out, untrusting and impatient consumer's vantage point. And we all are consumers who can relate to good and bad experiences. And guess what? Today's demanding consumers don't like, appreciate or trust all you have to say or offer them if they are not asking to hear it. They are suspicious of your uninvited emails or requests for personal information (a big point of discussion in this book). They want straight talk ... they hate all that fine print ("Lose it" is the recommendation) ... they want it all fast (or forget it) .... they want to consistently experience your brand the same way regardless of channel ... they want to be rewarded for their loyalty ... and they want complete control of their information and want to remain as anonymous as possible (so forget information requests that do not offer them something in return).
Each chapter is dedicated to one of the ten "demandments" - complete with a self-evaluation at the end of each chapter. As Mooney colorfully illustrates in her many examples, today's consumer wants - umm, demands that your business:
- Earn their TRUST
- INSPIRE them by your company or product
- Make things EASY
- Put them IN CHARGE of the process
- GUIDE them as they ask
- BE AVAILABLE 24/7
- REWARD their loyalty
- EXCEED their expectations
- RESPECT them as in any relationship
This is an engaging, easy-to-read book that is not a textbook monologue nor an analytical Harvard Business Review article, but really a 'street-smart' approach to serving your customers according to the "new demands on the street." It is chocked with many simple but insightful examples (termed "the voice of the consumer") that keep the flow lively and drive home the basic (but often difficult-to-master) principles. Sometimes Mooney is a bit repetitive, but some probably need that to get the points. Many companies don't realize they probably give a certain amount of "lip service" to the idea that "the customer comes first" or "without the customer, our purpose for existing ceases to exist" (haven't we all felt this way as consumers ourselves after a frustrating interaction?). But, after reading this humble, but enlightening little book, they probably will see how much room there is to improve and truly serve today's demanding consumer. So, overall, this book is a fresh, pretty different and important view point worth the time to read. Certainly the price should not deter anyone from getting it.
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