Customer Service for Dummies (Paperback)

by Karen Leland (Author), Keith Bailey (Author), Giles H. Bateman (Foreword) "Welcome to Customer Service for Dummies, 2nd Edition..." (more)
Key Phrases: amiable working style, analytical working style, driver working style, Excellent Comments, Mary Jane, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A 'must-have' manual for companies of all sizes -- from the sales proprietor to the largest corporation. -- Home Business Journal

Excellent...Provides lots of step-by-step tips. -- Small Business Opportunities

Well-written, fun-to-read...An excellent book to make those hard-earned marketing dollars work to your advantage. -- Self-Employed America

Product Description
In today's highly competitive environment, good products and good marketing aren't enough. To succeed, you also need great customer service. Quality service touches our lives in two important ways: the service we give and the service we receive.

Customer Service For Dummies, 2nd Edition, brims with hot tips, techniques, and lots of suggestions for giving your customers the kind of service that you yourself would like to receive. This down-to-earth, step-by-step guide fills you in on ways to

Take stock of your customer service strengths and weaknesses

Commit to continuous improvement

Work your way through modern-day e-mail and Internet etiquette

Foster positive face-to-face and telephone service

Deal with the unhappy folks among your customers

Packed with practical advice for getting through the everyday challenges at work, Customer Service For Dummies, 2nd Edition, shows you how to develop your staff so that they become service heroes to their customers. This insightful resource also gives you the goods on

Keeping your sanity when angry customers confront you with clenched fists or wrinkled foreheads

Saying "No" nicely: Focusing on what you can do for the customer

Tuning into body language and vocal tone

Knowing the importance of both internal and external customers

Achieving gold-level service at bronze-level cost

Improving market share – whether the company's big, small, or in between

Becoming a better customer by expressing yourself in style

Although customer service basics seem so much like common sense – smile, say please, and say thank you – these gestures alone won't begin to satisfy every situation. Once you expand your definition of service, reconsider who your customers are, and develop a customer-friendly attitude, you'll be in the right place to meet your customers' expectations – and right on time to make a pleasingly positive impression!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (September 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552090
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552090
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #635,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, No Hype, To-The-Point and Easy to Implement, April 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Customer Service for Dummies (Paperback)

As customers we all recognize great Customer Service when we receive it. If you are like me, you used that knowledge to setup the Customer Service for your company. Last week I wanted to know how well we were doing in this respect. I wanted to measure our client service against the "General Accepted Customer Service Standards", without all the hype. If this is also your case, "Customer Service for Dummies" is the book for you! Karen Leland and Keith Bailey did an incredible job in explaining the insider's secrets to provide great customer service. They convinced me that success only depends on the right mindset and it doesn't depend on having the resources of a Fortune 500 company

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource Even For Experts, May 24, 2000

By	Roger G Douglass (Orange County, California) - See all my reviews

I've worked in the customer support field now for seven years and I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the field. I bought this book because I thought that I could use a few suggestions or reminders to help me hone my skills. What I found was a goldmine.

When I first started in Customer Service I dealt pricipally on the phone speaking to customers. That has changed and now I deal mainly via e-mail. The reason this book was so great for me is that it contains three chapters that deal with nothing but e-mail.

I have recommended this book to all of my co-workers and my manager is going to provide the entire department with complementary copies because it is such a great resource. He has read it too.

I wish that I could describe in detail each and every reason that you should buy this book, but I would probably end up writing a book myself.

Whether you're an old pro, like me, or a beginner, this book has something for you.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos for Customer Service for Dummies, October 30, 2001

By	Lynn A. Baker (Oklahoma City, OK United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I chose this book mainly because of its inviting format. Like so
many of the "Dummies" books, it's fun to read. Participants in my
customer service seminars heartily agree. I especially like the
summarizing "Cheat Sheets" of key points inside the front cover ... and the section on how to receive, not just give, good service. The cartoons and brief chapters also help make this a page turner. Fairly priced, too.