What's the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience [Hardcover]

John R. DiJulius (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470196122 | ISBN-13: 978-0470196120 | Publication Date: May 2, 2008 | Edition: 1

What's the Secrets? gives you an inside look at the world-class customer service strategies at today?s some of today?s best companies. You'll learn how companies like Disney, Nordstrom, and The Ritz-Carlton get 50,000 employees to deliver world-class customer service on a consistent basis- and how your company can too. Packed with insider knowledge and a wealth of proven best practices, author John DiJulius will show you how your company can emulate the world?s best customer service providers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Business has never been tougher than it is today. Are you competing on price or service? The only companies surviving with long-term sustainability are the ones fanatical about differentiating themselves through the customer experience they deliver.

The companies that focus on delivering a world-class customer experience not only have higher sales growth, a stronger bottom line, and lower employee turnover, they also have a distinct competitive advantage in their marketplace. What's the Secret? presents an in-depth, inside look at the world-class customer service strategies employed by the world's most customer-friendly companies.

Top customer service consultant John DiJulius has spent his entire career cracking the code to learn how organizations can deliver world-class service. Now he reveals the proven strategies and principles of world-class service companies like Disney, Nordstrom, and The Ritz-Carlton. While even small companies often struggle to deliver adequate customer service on a regular basis, these companies manage to align tens of thousands of employees to deliver consistent top-class care and service to every customer.

No matter how small or large your business—even if you only manage yourself or a small department—the best practices you'll find in What's the Secret? will change the way you serve customers and lead to long-term excellence. You'll find the proven steps, best practices, and service standards that you need to build a customer service machine that delivers day-in and day-out. You'll learn how to attract and retain a high-quality customer service workforce, measure customer satisfaction, and create a culture that routinely finds ways to go above and beyond for your customer.

No matter what you do, customer service excellence is the indisputable key to long-term business success and the only way to make price less relevant to your customers. Provide a world-class customer experience and dominate your market.

From the Back Cover

Praise For What's the Secret?

"In a world of ever-increasing mediocrity, real customer service and relationship buildingare the keys to competitive differentiation. DiJulius's work is a blueprint to helping businesses exceed customer expectations."
—John Maguire, COO, Panera Bread

"It's no secret that DiJulius helps companies go above and beyond mundane services to stage truly compelling experiences. His real-world, down-in-the-trenches perspective in What's the Secret? is sure to help many managers create an enduring legacy of being the very best they can be."
—James H. Gilmore, coauthor of Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want

"DiJulius has an amazing ability to offer clarity and simplicity to the message of creating world-class service. This book offers a road map to creating superior service in any industry."
—Nance Hastings, Vice President, Field Education and

Talent Development, Estée Lauder

"Given the general uniform quality of global products and services, the primary way firms differentiate themselves and drive exceptional margins is through outstanding customer service—secret service! DiJulius's book provides the kind of practical simplicity and depth it takes to achieve industry-dominating customer service. I know, because we've exposed thousands of business owners to DiJulius's approach and results match the promises."
—Verne Harnish, founder, Entrepreneurs' Organization; CEO, Gazelles, Inc.;

and author, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits

"In this fast-changing global world, DiJulius has been able to simplify the game of service. People's tastes and time constraints have rapidly changed, but the desire for personalized human contact still remains the overwhelming factor in winning."
—John Rolfs, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton

"What's the Secret? delves even farther into the customer service experience and, more importantly, explains how to focus the entire organization on this one key element to all business success. DiJulius has once again delivered a fine addition to any business library."
—Maggie Hardy Magerko, owner and President, 84 Lumber Company

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470196122
• ISBN-13: 978-0470196120
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Consumer Behavior
  • #85 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Customer Service

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compete in any economy!, May 1, 2008

By 

D. Thompson (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience (Hardcover)

Looking for a way to make your prices irrelevant? This book opened my eyes to why companies like Disney don't have to cut their prices because of the economy.
Don't bother doing the research on how to improve your customer service, DiJulius has already done it all and included all the key points in his latest book. Even how to hire the right service minded people-priceless insight! What's the Secret? gives you everything you need to know to create, improve, and maintain great customer service. This book should be a mandatory read for anyone dealing with internal and external customers.
His writing style makes it an easy read that you can't put down! DiJuius is real and genuine, he uses experience as a speaker and consultant from his work with top service companies (Ritz Carlton, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Lexus and more) to provide the reader with actual conditions and systems. Whether business to business or business to consumer, any company -of any size- can indulge their customer with world-class service by following his easy to understand 10 commandment structure. And as an added plus--DiJulius gives you the web address to take his service aptitude test online "FREE" to see how you rank. Brilliant follow up to his first book, Secret Service-which I highly recommend you purchase with this one if you haven't read it already.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book, April 28, 2008

By 

Michael J. Fischer "Mike" (Delray Beach, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience (Hardcover)

This book is even better than DiJulius' first book. If you care at all about customer service, and we all should, then you should do like me and buy one for your whole team. Great book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eye opener for any all businesses, February 17, 2010

By 

Ginger Bratzel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What's the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience (Hardcover)

we all know customer service is important but this is the first time I saw a way to quantify it for my practice. How do truly know if you if an applicant has the aptitude for customer service BEFORE you hire them? This book shows you. It covers non negotiable standards for each level of interaction your customers has with you.

This level of customer service isn't just for big fortune 500 companies, now it is manageable for everyone.
Highly recommend read for every employee and boss.