Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service [Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Ari Weinzweig (Author, Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004

Do you really need another audiobook on customer service? There are hundreds you could choose from, and you've probably read at least a dozen. Why should you take advice from a deli with a funny name in Ann Arbor, Michigan?

Because the way Zingerman's teaches services is different, better and more successful than the way others do it.

Because while most customer-service audiobooks give you philosophy and theory, Zingerman's tells you exactly what to do and exactly how to do it.

Because one of Zingerman's founding partners, Ari Weinzweig, has distilled the most important facts about effective customer service into concise and snappy formulas that are easy for you and the people who work with you to remember and use. DISCOVER:

* Five elements of the Zingerman's approach * Three steps of great service * Five steps to handling customer complaints * Three ways to measure service * Five simple hiring tips

Do you really need another audiobook on customer service? Yes! But after you listen to this one, you won't.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...when it comes to service, few establishments can rival Zingerman's. -- Saveur

If delicatessens were awarded stars, Zingerman's would be given the maximum." -- New York Times

The coolest small company in America. -- Inc. Magazine

About the Author

Ari Weinzweig is one of the founding partners of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. He is the author of a number of articles and books, most recently, "Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating."

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.; Unabridged edition (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593160461
• ISBN-13: 978-1593160463
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,900,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent information in an informal format, August 3, 2006

By 

M. Killian (Livonia, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service (Hardcover)

If you're an uptight and resistant to change person, this is probably not going to be the best guide for you. Zingerman's is a liberal, "do the right thing" kind of environment. Their staff is respectful of each other and their customers without seeming militaryish or goofy. You can tell they love what they do and they are good at it.

I want the same environment for my staff. While we have terrific people in our Group, they just need serious help in the correct way to deliver customer service. This guide provides easy to understand concepts and examples.

The only thing I wish was different would be less food focus type advice. (Yes, I know Zingerman's is a food operation) If you're going to write a book on customer service, it would be helpful if it was easier to directly apply examples like "x-tra mile" ideas to general business.

If you're ever in Ann Arbor, be sure to visit Zingermans for the full experience -- it's so worth it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas, but short on examples, April 26, 2006

By 

jefkat (Harrisburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service (Hardcover)

After purchasing Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating, a wonderfully informative book about cheese, bread, olive oil, chocolate and many other artisan foods, I had high hopes for this book. On the positive side, it contains many excellent ideas on providing truly distinguished customer service, which are presented in a succinct, easy-to-read style. However, this book would have been more compelling if the author had illustrated these ideas with specific examples of how Zingerman's staff have provided superior service to customers or how they have handled difficult or unusual situations with customers. On the very last page of the book, Mr. Weinzweig writes: "Tell service stories. The knowledge of things that staffers do to provide guests with great service needs to be shared. People like to hear stories." Too bad that he didn't take his own advice when putting this book together.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Servant Leadership, December 10, 2004

By 

Tory L. Mcjunkin (Scottsdale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service (Hardcover)

Zingerman's guide is an outstanding primer on a businesses approach to service. Zingerman's philosophy is quite simple: Customer's should be treated like royalty and it is my responsibility to implement this standard. Ari Weinzweig takes you through the steps that he uses to teach outstanding service principles to his employees and in workshops for other companies. Although service is not always easy it is a noble goal in itself and should be diligently pursued by every team member of a business.