by Shep Hyken
Bouncing back, 156–158
cooling off in, 157
disengagement in, 156
learning from experience in, 157
sharing what you’ve learned, 157
Brainstorming, 102
Brand loyalty, interrelated quality service experiences at, 104
Brand promise, 40
Browsers, 125
Buckingham, Marcus, 74
Business(es). See also Companies
being easy to work with, 180–182
culture in defining, 77
de-commoditizing, 189
employee-centric, 27, 28, 41, 81
function of, 127
winning repeat, 3
Business customers, 126
Business-to-business companies, 15, 19, 190
Business-to-consumer companies, 19, 190
Buyer behavior, 10–11
C
Calamari, Kane, 99
Campbell, Jerry, 192–193
Carlzon, Jan, 37–38, 38–39, 95, 169
Carney, Shannon, 114–115, 201
Central City Auto Parks, 50
Certified Ace Helpful, 29
Chance, leaving loyalty to, 189–191
Changes, customer expectations on, 60–62
Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 8
Charitable giving, 204–207, 216
Children’s Miracle Network, 216
Churchill, Winston, 203
Clarity, questions in gaining, 137–140
Closed-ended questions, 135
Colleagues, trusting, 50–52
Community, 5–6, 203–217
caring about local, 208–210
helpfulness and, 214–218
loyalty and, 211–213
reciprocity in, 204–207
standing out in your, 175
Companies. See also Business(es)
best of the best, 3–4
business-to-business, 15, 19, 190
business-to-consumer, 19, 190
commitment to customer services, 9
long-term philosophy of, 8
separating good from great, 3–4
Company policy, being against, 166–167
Competition
amazement and, 3
befriending, 56–59
building friendly relationship with your, 56–59
creating of demanding customer as
problem for, 219–221
doing the unexpected and, 192–193
easy way out and, 83–84
Competitive edge, 173–202
amazement and, 3
being easy to do business with, 180–182
being proactive, 200–202
doing the unexpected, 192–193
following up with customer, 194–196
getting firsthand experience, 183–185
loyalty in, 177–179, 189–191
owning your mile in, 175–176
satisfaction in, 177–179
self-promotion in, 197–199
showing gratitude, 186–188
Complaints
debrief meeting on, 53–54
recovery in successfully handling, 159–161
taking long look at, 53–55
Confidence
following up, in establishing, 194–196
knowledge in creating, 111
Consistency, 104–106
Continuing education programs, 112–113
Cooling off, in bouncing back, 157
Cross-selling, 144–146
The Cult of the Customer, 40–41
Culture, 5, 77–118
adopting customer-first mindset in, 95–97, 180
awesome responsibility in, 87–88
in being best, 79–82
being committed learner in, 111–113
celebrating uniqueness in, 98–100
consistency in, 104–106
contributions of employees to
innovative, 102
customer-centric, 1, 14, 17, 40, 41, 80, 90, 141, 166, 173
defending, 89–91
in defining business, 77
mentoring in, 114–115
operationalization of, 165–166
operations-centric, 166
origin of great ideas, 101–103
service, 5, 28–29
shifting vocabulary in, 92–94
starting over in, 116–117
taking easy way out and, 83–86
telling the story in, 107–110
Curry, Sean, 57
Customer(s)
acceptance of, 208–210
asking questions, 137–140
assuming ownership of experiences, 150–152
being proactive for, 200–202
creating demanding, 219–221
creating loyalty in, 177–179
dignity of, in being wrong, 153–155
efforts to learn from, 53–54
focusing on, 127–130
following up with, 194–196
giving bad attitude, 53
internal and external, 39–40
knowing the value of your, 63–66
last, in building reputation, 116–118
leaving lasting impressions with, 147–149
listening to and learning from, 60–62
loyalty of, 64
managing first impression with, 131–133
open-ended questions in launching
dialogue with, 134–136
perception of service, 119
price sensitivity of, 13
showing gratitude to, 186–188
staying in touch with, 197–199
treating employees as, 79–82
treating on own terms, 124–126
trust of associates, 51
types of, 125–126
vocabulary in referring to, 92–94
Customer-centric culture, 1, 14, 17, 40, 41, 80, 90, 141, 166, 173
comparison with operations-centric culture, 166
Customer Coordinator, 201
Customer entrapment programs, 211
Customer evangelists, creating, 3
Customer feedback, 181, 190
Customer-first mindset, 95–97, 180
Customer loyalty programs, 211–213
Customer satisfaction
airline industry and, 8
IBM’s reputation for, 8
importance of, 177
as a rating, 177
Customer service
best practices in, 159–161
commitment to, 9
costs of poor, 189
defining amazing level of, 192–193
employees in, 27–34
importance of, 8
leadership in, 33
D
Davis, Michele Wiener, 122
Debriefing on misery and magic, 53–55
Debrief meeting, 53–54
on complaints, 53–54
on fan letters, 54
De-commoditizing experience, 191
Delta Airlines, 8
Department, it’s not my, 166
Dietrich, Bud, 114
Disengagement in bouncing back, 156
Disney
cast members at, 93, 96, 121
courses offered by, 96
guests at, 93, 121
managing the wait at, 163
“Do as I say, not as I do” management style, 48
Dowdell, Matt, 80–81, 96, 180
E
Eastman Kodak, 8
filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, 8
Easy way out, taking, 83–86
Email
in building loyalty, 195
in saying thank you, 186
sending, to customers, 198
Employee(s). See also Associates
clarity on lifetime value of a customer, 63
contributions to innovative culture, 102
in customer service culture, 27–34
doing business with, 87–88
empowerment of, 32–33<
br />
putting first, 28
treating as you want customers to be
treated, 79–82
trusting, 50–52
Employee-centric businesses, 27, 28, 41, 81
Employee Golden Rule, 79, 124
Employee meetings, reading fan letters at, 116–117
Empowerment
of employees, 32–33
of people, 141–143
Enemies, keeping closer, 56
Engagement, creating with open-ended questions, 136
Entrepreneurs, importance of small, 23
Evangelist, doing the unexpected in creating, 192–193
Everything, being good at, 70–72
Excellence in everything as unrealistic, 71
Expectations, questions in understanding, 137–140
Experience, 41
getting firsthand, 183–185
External customers, 39–40
Eye contact, making, 90–91
F
Facebook, 95, 227
Fan letters
debrief meeting on, 54
reading at employee meetings, 116–117
Feedback
customer, 181, 190
from mentor, 115
social media, 61, 178
Ferrara, John, 114
Firsthand experience, getting, 183–185
First impression, managing, 131–133
Five-Dollar Lifeboat, 31, 32, 64
Five Ps
People as, 67
Place as, 68
Pricing as, 68
Product as, 67–68
Promotion as, 68
Flexibility, 166–167
Following up with customers, 194–196
Follow-up phone call
in building loyalty, 195
in saying thank you, 186
Four Seasons luxury hotel chain, 11
Freedman, Art, 90–91
Frei, Frances, 70
Friendliness, 170
Friends, keeping close, 56
Frontline service people, stress in, 153
G
Glenn, Elder, 32–34
Glenn, Tom, 117, 205
Golden Rule, 124
Employee, 79, 124
Good Samaritan stories, 128–129
Google +, 95, 227
Go Put Your Strengths to Work (Buckingham), 74
Gratification, desire for immediate, 5
Gratitude, showing, to customers, 186–188
The Great Alphabet Game, 98
H
Handwritten note in saying thank you, 186
Helpful 101 certification, 29
Helpfulness, 21–23, 30–34, 80–81, 99, 139
community and, 214–218
making a daily reality, 30–34
reciprocity and, 214
Heubner, Jay, 67, 141
Home Depot, 178
competitive challenges from, 61
retail model used by, 12
Hsieh, Tony, 107
Huddles, 102
Hyken, Shep, 223, 227
I
IBM
reputation of, for customer satisfaction, 8
success of, 8
Ideas, origin of great, 101–103
Impressions
forming, 169
leaving great lasting, 147–149
managing first, 131–133
Inconsistency, as loyalty killer, 105
Instant mentorship, 115
Internal customers, 39–40
J
Judgment call, making a, 50
K
Karzman, David, 162
Kelleher, Herb, 28
Kelly, Steve, 212
Knowledge, in creating trust and confidence, 111
Knowles, Mavis, 153–154
Knox, Tom, 214–215
L
Language, impact on behavior, 93–94
Leadership, 5, 45–59, 122
acting as owner in, 47–49
adapting in, 60–62
befriending competition in, 56–59
being good at everything in, 70–72
in customer service, 33
debriefing in, 53–55
determining direction of, 80
driving success in, 67–69
knowing value of customers in, 63–66
playing to strengths in, 73–75
trust in, 50–52
Learning
being committed in, 111–113
from experience, in bouncing back, 157
making mistakes as part of, 51
sharing, in bouncing back, 157
Levitt, Theodore, 127
LinkedIn, 227
Little League team, sponsorship of, 205, 206
Local community, caring about the, 208–210
Lowe’s, 178
competitive challenges from, 61
retail model used by, 12
Loyalty
avoiding killers, 165–168
creating, in customers, 177–179
creating program for, 2110213
doing the unexpected in building, 192–193
following up with customers and, 194–196
interrelated quality service experiences
for brand, 104
not leaving to chance, 189–191
Lunch with the President program, 102–103
M
Machiavelli, Niccolò, 56
Magic
debriefing on, 53–55
multiple opportunities for moment of, 85
Management
holding of debrief meetings, 53–54
support for innovative working culture, 102
of the wait, 162–164
Management style
do as I say, not as I do, 48
walk the walk, 48
Maxwell, John C., 45
Mentoring, 114–115
Mentors
defined, 114
instant, 115
owner as, 47
shadow, 115
Miles, owning your, 175–176
Mindset
adopting customer-first, 95–97
customer-first, 95–97, 180
multiplier, 92
operations-centric, 90
Misery, debriefing on, 53–55
Mission shoppers, 125
Mistakes, as part of the learning process, 51
Misunderstandings, questions in avoiding, 137–140
Moment, seizing the, 169–171
Moments of Truth (Carlzon), 37–38
Morriss, Anne, 70
Multiplier Mindset, 92
Mystery shoppers, 181
N
National Speakers Association, 57
Neighbors, 93
Newsletters, sending, to customers, 198
Niche, finding your, 175–176
Nightingale, Earl, 111
Nordstrom, 9
return policy at, 107
O
Office Depot, 12
One-on-one interaction, 119–171
accountability and, 150–152
asking extra questions, 137–140
avoiding loyalty killers, 165–168
bouncing back and, 156–158
cross-selling in, 144–146
empowerment in, 141–143
first impressions in, 131–133
focusing on customers, 127–130
leaving lasting impressions, 147–149
letting customer be wrong, 153–155
managing the wait in, 162–164
mastering the art of recovery, 159–161
open-ended questions and, 134–136
seizing the moment, 169–171
showtime in, 121–123
treating customers on their own terms, 124–126
up-selling in, 144–146
Open-ended questions in launching dialogue with customers, 134–136
Operations-centric culture, comparison with customer-centric culture, 166
Operations-centr
ic mindset, 90
Over-promising, 163
Owners
acting as the, in leadership, 47–49
as mentor, 47
as role model, 47
Ownership, 41
acting as, 47–49
respect and admiration in, 47–49
as role model, 48
P
Parature, 189
Pedrotti, Gene, 198–199, 215
People. See also Associates; Customer(s); Employee(s)
empowerment of, 141–143
importance of, at Ace Hardware, 20
as one of the Five Ps, 67
putting first, 214–216
respecting different personalities of, 98
Personal growth strategy, developing, 73
Person-to-person engagement, 177
Peters, Tom, 119
Phone calls
in building loyalty, 195
in saying thank you, 186
Place, as one of the Five Ps, 68
Platinum Rule, 124, 125, 126
Price sensitivity of customers, 13
Pricing
competitive, 12
as one of the Five Ps, 68
The Prince (Machiavelli), 56
Proactive, being, for the customer, 200–202
Problem solving
being proactive in, 200
employees in, 101
keeping promise in, 159
making promise in, 159
trust in ability of, 51
Products
getting familiar with, 183–185
as one of the Five Ps, 67–68
Project shoppers, 125
Promise
keeping, to resolve problem, 159, 160
making, to resolve problem, 159, 160
Promotion, as one of the Five Ps, 68
Q
Questions
closed-end, 135
open-ended, in launching dialogue with
customers, 134–136
self-check, 170
in understanding expectations, gaining clarity, and avoiding misunderstandings, 137–140
R
Real-time interactions, 5
Rebate checks, replacement of, 32
Reciprocity
helpfulness and, 214
law of, 204–207
Recovery, mastering, 158, 159–161
Referrals, reaping, 3
Relationships, building friendly with your competition, 56–59
Reputation, last customers in building, 116–118
Respect, ownership and, 47–49
Responsibility, awesome, 87–88
Retail sector, direction moving in, 12
Ritz-Carlton, 9
empowerment of employees at, 33
internal and external experiences at, 29–30
Robert, Cavett, 57
Rock stars, 8, 9
stability of, 16
ROI, 33
Role model, owner as, 47
Rutter, Joe, 108–109
S
Sales, staying in touch between, 197–199
Sam’s Club, 12
Sanborn, Mark, 33, 122
SAS, 37–38