BIP 2189

Quality Service, Competitive Business. Setting the Standard in Customer Service

Howard Kendall

Quality Service, Competitive Business. Setting the Standard in Customer Service is the definitive guide to world-class customer service delivery. It would be an invaluable resource for any business with customer services personnel.

Where customer retention is key to business success, this book will help you achieve excellence in serving your customers.

Whatever the size of your business, it will be dependent on customers. Value your customers, and your business is more likely to succeed. If you have a customer services team or department, this book offers an invaluable reference resource on how to manage customer services resources effectively.

Quality Service, Competitive Business puts the role, leadership, and strategy of customer service operations into a truly business-aligned and -integrated perspective, allowing you to deliver high-value support and a memorable experience for your customer.

Using BSI’s standards for customer services, the book highlights the structure and organization of staff, and gives advice on how to achieve the best operational mix.

Emphasis is on the importance of best practice processes and using them to:

• Achieve a great customer experience so your customers don't go elsewhere
• Set and meet targets ensuring you are on-budget
• Measure performance statistics to gauge successful service delivery
• Identify areas for improvement to maximise resources and ensure ROI

What's in the book?

• 16 case studies including John Lewis, Google and Harley-Davidson - companies renowned for setting the gold standard in customer services - for you to learn from
• Summaries and learning points to reinforce key issues
• How to deal with complaints and compliments
• Legislation and consumer rights
• Selecting and recruiting the right people.

With the 2012 London Olympics looming (the Institute of Customer Services - ICS - are advising the Olympics on customer services), all UK services will be in the spotlight. This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to make sure their customer service delivery is world-class.

Contents of the guide to managing customer services include:

• Foreword (by Robert Crawford, ICS)
• Understanding your customers
• Great customer service and experience
• Customer service strategy, culture, and objectives
• Customer service people
• Customer service processes
• Customer service technology
• Management of customer service success.

Who should read this book?

• Any business with a customer services team
• Customer service managers
• Customer service representatives
• Customer relationship managers
• Complaints handling managers
• HR personnel
• All public sector bodies.

About the author

Howard Kendall is the former Chairman of the Institute of Customer Service and founding director of the Service Desk Institute. He chairs the BSI committee SVS/0, helped to develop ISO10002, and works with ISO. He is currently working on the European CHESSS initiative to help harmonize service standards across the EU.

Why not browse BSI’s standards and publications for customer services management and find out more about the customer services code of practice - BS 8477, and the standards for customer satisfaction - BS ISO 10001, BS ISO 10002 and BS ISO 10003.

The Customer Services Collection

Quality Service, Competitive Business, and the standards BS 8477, BS ISO 10001 and BS ISO 10002

Howard Kendall