Amazon.com's Best of 2001

It's trendy these days to decry a lack of loyalty among employers, employees, customers, and even investors, and blame it for everything fromdrops in business profitability to the decline of civilized society. But Frederick F. Reichheld, a Bain & Company director emeritus, insists that loyalty lives--and, in fact, remains a major reason for the success enjoyed by some of the leading names in both the Old and New Economies. Loyalty Rules, his follow-up to 1996's The Loyalty Effect, shows how practices that built such relationships in organizations like Harley-Davidson, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Cisco Systems, and the U.S. Marine Corps help improve the atmosphere for all concerned and aid in producing better bottom-line results. The bulk of the book focuses on specific, real-world applications of Reichheld's Six Principles of Loyalty: in "Preach What You Practice," for example, he outlines various ways that "loyalty leaders" can articulate relevant concepts while clarifying "how these same philosophical foundations are ... not just feel-good platitudes." Reichheld also includes sample questionnaires from his Acid Test Survey, a critical part of the prescribed diagnosis-and-remedy program that is freely available on the author's Web site. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (8)

THE HIDDEN BENEFITS OF LOYALTY
Reichfeld's thesis is that loyalty, more than a fosuc on profits, is what guarantees companies long term success. He uses a handful of examples, including Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Northwestern Mutual, Harley Davidson, Cisco, among others, to make the case that having outstanding loyalty from your customers, suppliers and employees drives outstanding results.

The main rules Reichfeld sticks to and calls the "high road" are the following:
1. Focus on win/win solutions with partners
2. Focus only on clients which you can serve well
3. Focus on simplicity to allow everyone to understand the rules
4. Develop a set of principles and live by them, rewarding others who act according to those principles.

Overall, he makes a strong case to show how these principles can have a positive effect on business. By having low turnover, a fast food restaurant spends very little on HR expenses. By focusing on the bikes their customers love (and not diversifying), Harley gains lifelong customers.

The weakenesses of the book lie in the overemphasis of loyalty, in relation to other important tasks in business. Of course, being a book on loyalty, one could not expect anything different. Additionally, it would have eben useful to have some fake types of loyalty as example of weak attempts at loyalty. I am sure certain companies must have tried to gain loyalty through not-so-smart measures, so it would be nice to haev examples in order to differentiate them.

Overall, it is a very interesting book, useful to anyone involved in customer related businesses and in managing employee relationships. It is short (a benefit) and a bit too concise (a drawback), so it should not take more than a week to read for a regular reader.

More inspirational than nuts-and-bolts information
Not long ago, loyalty was out of fashion. Tom Peters said, "Forget loyalty. Try loyalty to your Rolodex." The magazine Fast Company incited everyone to join the "free-agent nation." Now, loyalty is a hot topic.

The person most responsible for this turnaround is Frederick Reichheld, who published the seminal work, "TheLoyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits and Lasting Value," in 1996. Based on studies at Bain & Co., Reichheld determined that loyalty is the primary driver of profitability. The studies found that an increase in customer retention rates of just 5% increases profits by 25%-95%. The right customers, employees and investors who stay with a firm fuel a virtuous cycle of long-term growth that increases profitability,empowers the brand and cuts marketing costs.

"Loyalty Rules!" picks up on the same themes addressed in "Loyalty Effect." It's impossible to generate superior long-term profits without superior customer loyalty. The right measurements and rewards are critical to achieving the right results. The book illustrates how loyalty has made such organizations as Harley-Davidson, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, The Vanguard Group, Southwest Airlines, Northwestern Mutual, Chick-fil-a, and others so successful.

Such success, says Reichheld, results from the emphasis corporate leaders place on six loyalty principles:

o play to win/win
o be picky (membership is a privilege)
o keep it simple
o reward the right results
o listen hard
o talk straight, and preach what you practice

The "Loyalty Effect" was a primer on how to build loyalty. Numerous charts, graphs and even formulas illustrated the cause-and-effect relationships between loyalty and value creation. While "Loyalty Effect" sought to teach and persuade, "Loyalty Rules!" aims to inspire. Organizations should always take the high road. Vanguard employees are "proud to be part of the most ethical organization in the industry." Reichheld approvingly quotes Cisco CEO John Chambers: "Never do anything to competitors that you wouldn't want them to do to you." He encourages leaders "to assume the pulpit and preach about the values at the core of your life and your relationships."

Inspirational stories and advice are balanced by "action checklists" at the end of each chapter. These include specific tips to achieve loyalty, such as "create a golden rule for your firm," "make recruiting an executive priority," "create a customer experience council," and "turn call centers and help desks into strategic listening posts."

Reichheld concludes with a "Loyalty Acid Test." These are sample questionnaires for customers and employees that can diagnose the health of relationships.

Other excellent books on the same topic are Customer Equity: Building and Managing Relationships as Valuable Assets by Blattberg, Getz and Thomas. Also highly recommended is FusionBranding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future by customer loyalty consultant Nick Wreden, who looks at how to apply customer equity and accountability to branding

Misses the mark
Mr. Reichheld has impressive credentials and I respect his intentions, yet in this book he recommends using poorly-developed surveys to understand customer or employee loyalty. That's extremely misleading! That process and the results gained will only mislead management and will not truly indicate how loyal customers or employees really are. The only true way to understand and manage customer or employee loyalty is to talk to them and let them express their own thoughts! Mr. Reichheld has missed the mark.

The ROI of Integrity
In a brilliant essay which appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Reichheld shares research which suggests that companies with faithful employees, customers, and investors (i.e. capital sources which include banks) share one key attribute: leaders who stick with six "bedrock principles": preach what you practice, play to win-win, be picky, keep it simple, reward the right results, and finally, listen hard...talk straight. In The Loyalty Effect, Reichheld organizes his material within 11 chapters which range from "Loyalty and Value" to "Getting Started: The Path Toward Zero Defections." With meticulous care, he explains how to devise and them implement programs which will help any organization to earn the loyalty of everyone involved in the enterprise. Reichheld draws upon a wealth of real-world experience which he and his associates have accumulated at Bain & Company, a worldwide strategy consulting firm. Reichheld heads up its Loyalty Practice.

In his most recently published book, Practice What You Preach, David Maister explains why there must be no discrepancy whatsoever between the "talk" we talk and the "walk" we walk. Reichheld agrees, noting that the "key" to the success of his own organization "has been its loyalty to two principles: first, that our primary mission is to create value for our clients, and second, that our most precious asset is the employees dedicated to making productive contributions to client value creation. Whenever we've been perfectly centered on these two principles, our business has prospered." It is no coincidence that the world's most highly admired companies are also the most profitable within their respective industries. I wholly agree with Reichheld that loyalty is critically important as a measure of value creation and as a source of profit but that it is by no means "a cure-all or a magic bullet." Loyalty is based on trust and respect. It must be earned, usually over an extended period of time and yet can be lost or compromised at any time with a single betrayal.

In Loyalty Rules!, Reichheld develops these and other ideas (the foundation of what he calls an "economic framework") in much greater depth as he explains how today's leaders build lasting relationships beyond as well as within their organizations. "Loyalty cannot begin with tools; it must begin with leaders who recognize the enormous value of building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships....Accordingly, this book spends at least as much time on the underlying objectives for building loyalty as it does on the how-to's." He organizes his material within eight chapters which range from "Timeless Principles" (previously introduced in The Loyalty Effect) to "Preach What You Practice" in which he asserts that actions speak louder than words and together, they are "unbeatable." One of this book's greatest benefits is provided in a series of "Action Checklists" which reiterate key ideas while suggesting specific initiatives to implement them effectively. The book concludes with an appendix, "The Loyalty Acid Test," which consists of separate surveys of consumers and employees. Obviously, each reader must modify either survey to ensure that it is appropriate to her or his own organization's specific needs and objectives. However, all modifications should be consistent with the 'timeless principles" which Reichheld examines in the first chapter. I highly recommend this book, presuming to suggest that, if possible, The Loyalty Effect be read first.

Loyalty? Very important (and also this book)
In these Internet times, the next store is only a click away. Fewer workers regard their employer to be worthy of loyalty. So is loyalty still of interest? After writing his 1996 classic about loyalty, The Loyalty Effect, Frederick F. Reichheld continues his praise for values and a long-term focus. He demonstrates that business on the Web is based mostly on trust, not on prices. Many examples from successful organizations show how to establish loyalty and how it pays off. You’ll see that employee loyalty is very important for company success, and the author shows ways to earn this loyalty. This book contains many checklists for immediate action plans. And it includes sample questionnaires for checking your employees’ and customers’ loyalty toward your company.

Peter Pick
(...) ... Read more

Book Description

Business-to-business marketing has become fiercely competitive and chaotic. Smart marketers and sales professionals are learning an exciting and profitable new way to find and keep customers in this difficult environment.

Integrated Account Management features a proactive and personal approach that creates mutually beneficial customer relationships (and makes every customer profitable).

With more than 90 charts, resources, and case studies, the book shows how to:

**pinpoint appropriate customers for the IAM system
**hire and train an account management team
**conduct workshops (to discover what customers value in a contact)
**build customer-contact plans at all levels
**measure customer loyalty ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent coverage of a new business marketing method
In Integrated Account Management, Mark Peck provides a complete guide to installation of a highly profitable system for building customer relationships in a business to business environment. IAM has been used by: - An automotive aftermarket business to turn an $8 million loss into a $400,000 profit in one year - A technology company to create a new sales channel with a 4-1 return on operating expenses - A high-tech company to generate a doubling of sales in one year with no increase in the size of the sales force. Mark Peck is Executive Vice President of Hunter Business Direct. Drawing on experience from such clients as Monsanto, BellSouth, Hewlett Packard, AMOCO and Shell Oil, Peck defines and explains what IAM is and how it can be installed and measured.

Integrated account measurement allows each account manager to manage relationships with customers in ways that are cost effective and profitable. IAM is proactive: it is not a system that waits for the customer to call you. IAM involves high levels of productivity through careful planning of customer contacts. IAM treats account managers as if they were small business owners. They: - Own the relationships with their customers - Plan their customer contacts - Segment their customers by profitability and risk of defection - Work to understand their customer's needs - Use a customer database as a primary customer knowledge tool - Invest in customers based on their worth - Sell by not selling - Let the customer decide the contact medium that they prefer

This book is an essential tool for companies that want to set up an organized system to maximize sales and profits in the most cost effective way, that will guarantee long term customer retention. Review by Arthur Hughes, Executive VIce President of ACS, Inc. He is the author of The Complete Database Marketer (McGraw Hill 1996) and Strategic Database Marketing (McGraw Hill 1994). You may reach Arthur at DBMarkets@aol.com. ... Read more

Book Description

This reader-friendly series is must read for all levels of managers

All managers, whether brand-new to their positions or well established in the corporate hierarchy, can use a little brushing-up now and then. The skills-based Briefcase Books Series is filled with ideas and strategies to help managers become more capable, efficient, effective, and valuable to their corporations.

As customer loyalty increasingly becomes a thing of the past, customer relationship management (CRM) has become one of today's hottest topics. Customer Relationship Management supplies easy-to-apply solutions to common CRM problems, including how to maximize impact from CRM technology, which data warehousing techniques are most effective, and how to create and manage both short- and long-term relationships.

Reviews (3)

Getting Past the Technology
Perhaps the best recommendation I can give for this book occurs in one of the many little tip boxes scattered throughout this treasure trove of ideas, tips and tricks of the trade. This particular tip box says simply "Strategy Isn't Technology ...people confuse strategy and technology ... Insist that CRM technologies be referred to as CRM tools. Ask how each tool supports your CRM strategy."

This book provides the best antidote to that tendency we have today to mistake a software application for a full solution. Not only will this book show you how to get the most out of such CRM tools, but it also provides tips and ideas for managing the whole complex and essential business of Customer Realtionship Management.

Practical CRM
I've looked through a number of books on CRM in an effort to get a better handle on the topic and to find a good process for teaching the concepts to emploees in my company. I stumbled over Anderson & Kerr's take on CRM and found what I was looking for. Anderson and Kerr have captured the essence of CRM in a very practical, hands-on way. They have great examples from their lives and (I assume) the lives of their friends that adds texture and a realness that the other books I've looked at lacked. I really thought I understood CRM, but after reading this book I realized that I had missed the whole point -- Customer Relationship Management is about CUSTOMERS, not computers. Well worth the reading if you have anything to do with customers.

Packed with Knowledge!
Despite the tens of millions dollars now being invested in new customer relationship management solutions, customer satisfaction with service dropped almost eight percent from 1994 to 2000, according a study by the University of Michigan's business school. Consultants Anderson and Kerr suggest some reasons why: a failure to distinguish between CRM strategy and CRM technology and a tendency to view meaningless data as useful information. We from getAbstract highly recommend this concise and thorough examination of CRM to all managers and students of business. ... Read more

Book Description

Do you want to raise the bar for service excellence in your organization? Here is a practical, hands-on guide to help you quickly accomplish this goal. Dozens of field-tested exercises, games, activities, icebreakers, and assessment instruments help you teach employees the importance of customer service and improve their performance. A flexible format and easy-to-use icons help you develop a customized training program lasting from one hour to one day or longer. A companion CD-ROM includes PowerPoint® presentations and electronic copies of all supporting material. ... Read more

Book Description

The president and CEO of Scandinavia Airlines (SAS) shows how to adapt to the new customer-driven economy. "The best book on leadership by a CEO."--John Naisbitt, author of Megatrends ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Buy it,read it, then send it to your least favourite utility
Jan Carlzon was promoted from middle management to run Scandinacia's biggest airline. He is sometimes quite modest about the reasons for this rise to the top. His airline, SAS, had sunk to the bottom of the league tables for profitability and customer satisfaction. This is half the story of how Carlzon turned around the airline, and half a desctiption of what a Moment of Truth is and how to use the idea of a Moment of Truth to improve customer service businesses. Carlzon defines a moment of truth as that moment when an employee has a choice, and depending on that choice the customer will be either delighted or disgusted with the service. Carlzon goes into the reasons why employees do not always make the customer delighted, and what he did to change these factors at SAS. The book is readable, but the key idea, the moment of truth, is overed in a few pages, and easily remembered. For those who feel no need to proceed through life burdened with a large number of business books, this volume is just the right size to mail with a letter of complaint to a utility company whih has recently given ou poor service. It earned this reviewer a full refund on 4 months of bills for two telephone lines.

Both enlightening and witty
In "Moments of Truth" Jan Carlzon, the then president of Scandinavian Airlines System, tells the extraordinary story of turning a lacklustre state-run airline into a profitable business that consistently won passenger preference surveys. The central element of Carlzon's line of reasoning is the "moment of truth", a concept that was first formulated by Richard Normann in 1984 and which comprises the notion that a service company's overall performance is the sum of countless interactions between customers and employees, the so-called moments of truth that either help to retain a customer or send him to the competition. As Carlzon does emphasize, the implementation of the idea behind this concept is hardly an easy task to accomplish, especially so because it implies the transition from a production-oriented to a market-oriented approach within the company. The measures to be taken in order to make this strategic realignment possible include flattening the organizational pyramid, making sure everyone knows about the company's vision and, last but not least, empowering "front line" employees. Once these changes have been successfully implemented and are being pursued with perseverance, chances are that the outcome will be, as Carlzon puts it, "millions of satisfied customers and thousands of motivated employees".

"Moments of Truth" can be considered a prime example of how to explain a business strategy on very few pages and in an entertaining way. Although the book is written in an anecdotal style and can easily be read within a couple of hours, its contents are of interest and potential value to every manager in the service industry. Congratulations to Mr. Carlzon on a book that is both enlightening and very witty!

What an Airline CEO Should Be!
In this short book, Jan Carlzon relates how he righted three travel companies as CEO by listening to the knowledge accumulated by frontline employees and helping them do their jobs, rather than the other way around. Mr. Carlzon was spectacular in turning around the fortunes of Vingresor, Linjeflyg, and finally SAS. As head of SAS he was able to dispense with business as usual by listening more to the frontline employees, and scrupulously insisting on removing 'yes-men' from his inner circle, a policy that has also served Southwest amazingly well over the years. Although his tenure was not totally without controversy, Carlzon talks frankly about unions (he looks on them as partners and long-term stakeholders), and tough decisions, such as sticking with the trusted DC-9 when other airlines were buying newer planes merely for the sake of having newer planes, despite negative balance sheet implications.

This is a book that should be read by every business major, MBA, and airline employee about what is possible by working together. Sadly in recent US history most airline executives have been self-centered boors who don't care about the airline business, and have no long term stake in the company. Largely they have stayed around a couple of years, raked in millions (in some cases hundreds of millions) of dollars and then left a bankrupt or weak carrier in the lurch. Carlzon makes it clear that he is a capitalist, but a capitalist that realizes that if management and employees work together, solutions can be reached that will benefit all over the long term.

To the Boards of Directors of any airline anywhere I say this: read this book, learn how it should be done, and go out and get a Carlzon-school thinker for every executive position in your company. The long term results will amaze you. I could not recommend this book any more highly.

Moments of Obvious Truth
I read Carlzon's book as research for a book of my own. I only gave it three stars because it's a bit dated in 2003, but it most probably deserved it five-star reputation in the 1980's. As one who spent thirty-four years as a mechanic for United, many of Carlzon's revolutionary ideas were fairly obvious to the rank and file. The title really describes what is at the heart of Carlzon's genius. There is a "moment of truth" for each and every employee. Making sure that the employee, whether they be CEO or file clerk, is ready for that moment is what Carlzon is preaching. If this book is must reading for business leaders, then very few got the message. When Carlzon tried to flatten the pyramid and empower workers to make on the spot decisions at SAS, he got the most resistance in the USA. He blamed this on job insecurity in America and credited Sweden's strict labor laws as the reason that it worked there. His workers didn't have to worry about losing ther jobs if they made an honest mistake. Many of Carlzon's ideas are reflected at Southwest, so that proves that he was on the right track. This is not a "how to do it" book. It's a "how to learn how to do it" book.

Golden moments
Every passenger who travels by air comes across five short interactions of about fifteen seconds each with the airline staff. Jan Carlzon calls these as moments of truth. It is these moments that largely determine the image of the airline and customer experience. Frontline employees who are responsible for this interface , meeting customers and serving them, are the ambassadors of the airline who can find a place in the hearts of the customers for their airline. With such strong beliefs driven by a organization wide movement towards customer delight, SAS turns around and soars high, Capt. Carlzon in command .

Leadership is responsible to create the right conditions for decisions and action by line managers, flattening the pyramid and utilizing the vast energy released by groups of enthusiastic people. Primarily, it is people, not aircraft that matter.

- Consider the fact that you need to walk a mile to board the connecting flight at a transit airport. This is because aircraft have been parked by size and make at the airport hangars and not by passenger convenience.
- Till the food is served, one is not sure if the special meal ordered is on board. No one either at the check-in counter or boarding gate is able to assure this in advance and provide a sense of comfort to a tired passenger far away from home.
- A mother with her infant has anxious moments till she finds a cradle on board. She would have loved to have an empty seat next to her to take better care of her loved one.

Not to worry when you fly SAS. SAS employees, on the ground and in the air would do everything to ensure that you have a very pleasant flight. For them "Love is in the air".

This is just one aspect of what Carlzon has narrated, in first person in this book. If this is impressive, the rest is spectacular.

This book was written in the 80's and I am not sure what has happened to SAS since then. Take away from this book are moments that truly appeal to our hearts. Take care of customers and employees, who in turn will take care of the company's top line and bottom line.

Welcome aboard and happy reading. Love is in the air ! ... Read more

Book Description

63% of online shopping carts are abandoned before checkout...50% ofWeb shoppers give a site only one chance...ThatOs why 100% of companies doing e- business need this book!

The Web has made the concept of "competitive edge" into a virtual anachronism.Location means little, and vendors can routinely beat each other's prices andofferings at a moment's notice. So how can an e-business differentiate itself?How can it stop fickle surfers in their tracks and turn them into loyal buyers?

The answer is service, tailored uniquely to the Web. And no one knows more aboutthat crucial subject than service guru Ron Zemke and Tom Connellan, who sharedin bringing the world "Knock Your Socks Off Service." Together, they havecreated a detailed blueprint for companies who want to cash in long-term on theexploding Web market.

Packed with ideas and solutions that readers can implement immediately, E- SERVICE explains how to: * Manage the customer's psychological experience to strengthen brand image inthe marketplace * Capture the right buyers--the ones who provide true profit--and earn theiriron-clad trust* Recover from mistakes, using methods that not only retain at-risk customersbut turn them into your best publicists * Design home pages, order forms, and other visual elements that attract usersrather than frustrate them; and more! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A must-read to stay connected to your customer
E-Service is a terrific read if you are concerned about customer satisfaction in the age of "E". This book outlines 24 ways to use "E" service to differentiate your business from the competition.

Zemke and Connellan are well known customer service guru's and their observations and strategies in this new book are right on target. Great customer service is an integral, component to any business that wants to generate revenue from new and existing customers -- and the on-line world ups the ante. This book shares key ideas for enhancing the service end of your business using the web to keep customers coming back for more.

A must-read for every business person in this age of rapid change.

Retain or Die
I have a bias which Zemke and Connellan apparently share: Literally anyone who has any contact with a customer (or client) is a "customer service representative." They include whoever answers the telephone; whoever greets visitors at the door or encounters them within the building; whoever delivers anything to a customer; whoever has direct contact with a customer's own customer, vendor, or service provider (e.g. banker, attorney, accountant, management consultant); and whoever in any other situation has an opportunity to add value to the customer relationship. You get my point. The authors of this book focus on a major challenge to all organizations: keeping customers, especially now when "the competition is just a click away." Customer retention is the name of this "game" and almost everyone within a given organization is a "player."

Zemke and Connellan organize their excellent material within fourteen chapters, presenting and then explaining 24 "key" strategies to maximize customer retention. These "keys" range from "Master the ETDBW [i.e. Easy to Do Business With] Design Basics" in Chapter 5 to "Use Incentives to Increase Spending" in Chapter 11. They then provide "A Seven-Lesson Crash Course in E-Service Improvement" in Chapter 12 followed by a thought-provoking chapter "The Future of the Net: Take These Predictions to the Bank" and, in the final chapter, a "Browser's Guide" which offers 80 "tips" such as "the long-term winners...will be those that have done the best job of supporting their customers and delivering that value in a way that seems effortless." I also appreciate the inclusion of "Notes" and "Additional Resources."

For small-to-midsize organizations especially, here in a single-volume are information and guidance sufficient to assist the design, launch, implementation, and refinement of an e-business customer service program. I think this book can also be of substantial value to much larger organizations which, I am convinced, should constantly re-evaluate such a program already in place. Recall the "bias" to which I referred earlier. Recent market research (generated by several million respondents) has revealed what is most important to customers: "feeling appreciated" and "ease of doing business" (or "convenience") were ranked either #1 or #2 among the attributes. Revealingly, "cost" is ranked anywhere between #9 and #14.

Do Zemke and Donnellan address all the "right" questions? No, but they don't miss many. Are all of their answers to various questions the "right" ones? Read the book and judge for yourself. In fact, I urge you to consult a number of other books which cover much of the same material. It would be imprudent (perhaps even stupid) to rely entirely on a single source. The authors identify several in the "Additional Resources" section to which I presume to add Treacy and Wiersema's The Discipline of Market Leaders (who have a great deal of value to say about "customer intimacy") as well as Customer Equity co-authored by Blattberg, Getz, and Thomas who provide a brilliant analysis of what could be called "the ROI of customer relationships."

ONE OF THE MILESTONES
Many books, articles, etc. have been read. But tricks for success in e-service has not been explained better. I would highly recommend this 5-star-book to anyone who would like to improve her/his skills/knowledge in e-commerce industry.

Bad English and mysterious statistics
The book contained a fairly considerable number of statistics and data. Many of the authors' 'teachings' were based of of the ideas illustrated by this information. Each and every example I read provided absolutely no informaton reguarding the source of the statistical data. This I found unacceptable. I cannot simple agree and accept ideas when they are based on information which for all I know is simply fabiricated.

Also, the authors would often make sentances which made horrible use of words and phrases. At the top of page 42 you would read, "The importance of customer value is an especially critial one...". Importance is not a noun! It would make more sense to say, "The importance of customer value is especially critical..." The number of examples of bad grammer such as this was huge. I am a little impressed that it got passed editing.

Discusses all the elements which make a web site a success
How does an online business keep its customers when the competition's only a click away? From assuring customer satisfaction through personal emails to simplifying a Web interface for quick and easy navigation, this discusses all the elements which make a web site a success - or a failure. An essential guide to e-commerce businesses. ... Read more

Book Description

All organizations spend thousands of hours collecting and reading data. However, many of these hours are nothing more than wasted time because organizations analyze the wrong metrics - which leads to inaccurate decision making.

Keeping Score ensures that you look at the right metrics. The author contends that metrics must focus on the past, present, and future and be based on the needs of customers, shareholders, and employees. Measuring everything is more damaging than measuring nothing - pinpointing the vital few key measures is the key to success.

Integrating the "balanced scorecard" concept with a Baldrige approach, Keeping Score will show you how to:

- Evaluate your current approach to measurement.
- Pinpoint incorrect performance measurements.
- Select the right financial metrics.
- Measure customer satisfaction and value.
- Measure quality of products and services before they reach the customers.
- Perform process measurement.
- Track supplier performance.
- Measure employee satisfaction.
- Redesign inadequate metrics and systems used to collect and report data.
- Improve the accuracy of your metrics by linking them to key success factors. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Good stuff!
I've read all of Mark Graham Brown's books and been through a couple of his workshops. He always nails the topic and this book is no exception.

This book shows you how to pinpoint key measures, evaluate your measurement approach, and redesign inadequate metrics. I find it a very useful guide for my executive coaching and consulting practice.

Substantially Unsubstantial
Substantially Unsubstantial

Keeping Score is a good high-level review of the importance of metrics in strategy-driven organizations. Brown employs Kaplan & Norton's balanced scorecard methodology to illustrate the relationship between measurement and strategy. He doesn't really deliver much more than you would find in Kaplan & Norton's classic Balanced Scorecard book. I would like to have seen more suggested metrics around the various "themes": financial performance, customer satisfaction, product/service quality, process and operation performance, supplier performance, and employee satisfaction. I know macro- and micro-metrics are organization-specific; however, there are "generic" financial and satisfaction metrics he could offer. The Measurement System Self-Assessment 50 -item survey illustrated in the book is a great resource. It can easily be customized, automated and administered to stakeholders responsible for developing measurement systems. I applaud Brown for consistently reinforcing the formative rather than purely summative evaluation model. That is, any measurement system must contain historical (lagging), current, and forecasting (leading) measures. Those systems that are driven by summative data (i.e., historical) do not serve the real purpose of a measurement system, which is to allow stakeholders to make well-informed and better business decisions. Oftentimes, Brown downplays the complexity of developing and implementing a measurement system. He makes statements such as "Measurement is easy" and "Designing your own new and improved measurement system may not be a much work as you think..." These kinds of statements are worrisome and misleading because developing a robust measurement system aligned with organizational strategy is no simple feat. Nor, should it be. One extremely important area that is only slightly addressed is that of system maintenance and integrating the system into business processes. Once a measurement system has been established clear guidelines should be established as to how the data will be employed and used to make decisions. A truly strategic organization will incorporate the measurement system into the daily operations of the organization.

"Keeping Score" Right On Target
I ordered Mark Graham Brown's "Keeping Score" just as I got involved with a Balanced Scorecard implementation. As we worked through the process of designing our internal scorecard I found this slim volume (<200 pages) an invaluable aid. From the introduction through to the last chapter, I found this book full of practical ideas and advice. For instance, one of my personal pet peeves is the short shrift most larger companies give to the value of their people. In chapter 10: "Measuring Employee Satisfaction", Mr. Brown addresses topics such as the short-sightedness of improving profits through downsizing and how a balanced scorecard can help underline this mistake. He ends the book with a practical 10 item list "The Key To Successful Plans". After all the theory, I was glad to have a roadmap handy. I'd recommend this book to anybody who is contemplating a new scorecard, or rehabbing an existing one.

Where's the beef?
I am bought into the philosophy that the ability to effectively measure operational performance is key to achieving excellence. Unfortunately, this book provides little useful information. This is one of those 'advocacy supersedes real content' books.

A great intro for CEO's of small & medium sized business
Fed up with the passive measures of achievement we have been using (which were a whole lot better than the NONE we used to use), I bought about a dozen books on the subject. I started with this one first because it is thin, well organized, easy to read and, even though it is not sufficiently oriented to manufacturing firms to completely satisfy my interests, gives enough examples to stimulate development of measures specifically applicable to my Company. I also liked the discussion of corporate mission, corporate vision, key success factors and the development of indicators and goals which address these factors. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Database Marketing Case Book
I have been an admirer of Arthur Hughes' writing for many years. His books The Complete Database Marketer and the splendid Strategic Database Marketing are among the best in the genre. Especially the latter has helped me a lot in my own projects as a database marketing specialist.

Now Arthur returns with a new book, another fine read. There are some things to be mentioned though.

Ed Sander, Failsafe Database Marketing

First of all, you should first read Strategic Database Marketing before you read this one. Although some of the subject matter of the two books overlaps, the theoretical background is explained much better in Arthur's previous book. For instance, the Lifetime Value case in The Customer Loyalty Solution is far too complex as a first taster.

Second, the title. I really don't think it does the book justice since it covers much more ground than just loyalty programs. With a title like this it might easily get lost between the dozens of other customer loyalty books on Amazon. Personally I would have suggested something like "The Database Marketing Case Book" instead, since the book mainly consists of some 40 short and longer case descriptions which illustrate the power and possible results of database marketing combined with the Internet. As such, it is a great companion book to Strategic Database Marketing, which focusses more on the 'how to'.

Third, although there is - as I mentioned - certain overlap with Strategic Database Marketing, this book does cover a few highly interesting (new) subjects in more detail. To name a few:

- What is the difference between CRM and DBM ? Which is better ?
- Why have catalogers not used DBM ?
- Calculating the value of names and e-mail addresses.
- Selling versus communicating on the web. Which one works ?
- E-mail marketing.

Also, most of the cases and options described are evaluated using the Lifetime Value theorie, which is very clear an useful. All chapters also include a summary, checlists of things that work and don't work and a quiz to test your understanding of the described cases.

All in all another fine and inspiring book by Arthur. Not as essential as Strategic Database Marketing, but a must have for anybody who has already digested that title and wants an extra 'grand desert'. ... Read more

Book Description

Many people across the country claim they have been "Saturnized," thanks to the company's renowned style of conducting business that keeps their customers happy and coming back to purchase again and again. Marketing expert Vicki Lenz explores how Saturn built its exceptional customer service reputation, using their successful methods as a role model to demonstrate how any company can create positive relationships with their customers, fulfill their needs, and turn one-time buyers into repeat-purchasing, loyal clients. Lenz, a satisfied Saturn customer, focuses on why Saturn buyers are so loyal, letting the reader hear directly from the customers themselves and extrapolating lessons from their feedback that are useful in any industry. She covers the steps companies can take to gain customer loyalty, including how to create interest, how to help customers feel welcome, how to solve problems, and how to communicate after the sale. In the spirit of The Nordstrom Way, Lenz offers managers, owners, and entrepreneurs alike sound advice that will show them how to stay ahead in the all-important race to catch, and keep, the customer. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Out of Date material concerning Saturn
Vicki Lenz has written a thoughtful, but out of date rendition of how Saturn currently conducts business.Because of lower sales numbers, many of the dealerships have reverted to the old way of selling cars.Long gone are the barbeques and the customer information seminars, proactive recalls, and friendly cost effective customer service.Policy now calls for "touching the desk", the typical car sales approach for the sales person to get the manager before the customer leaves the premises as a last ditch effort.Saturn is no longer rated as the number 1 car in sales satisfaction and the JD Powers ranking is sinking annually.Ms. Lenz needs to seriously update her material.The techniques she describes haven't been used by Saturn for quite awhile.

The certain way to succeed in business!
What a magnificent book! What a great example is the story of Saturn. It proves what we all know, but what so few do - that a genuine love of a product with a genuine care for a customer is the certain way to succeed inbusiness. I'll take 200 copies please for all our real estate offices!

A mmust read for anyone in business
This book gives valuable insight in how to retain customers. It goes way beyond customer satisfaction and brings us back to the simple values that make businesses truly successful. ... Read more

Book Description

Since more and more attention is being focused on customer value management, it is important to have a resource that synthesizes many bodies of research about how to obtain and interpret customer satisfaction data. Vavra provides rationale, identifies opportunities, and suggests specific programs to improve the measurement of customer satisfaction in your organization. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A comprehensive guidebook
I strongly recommend this book to anyone involved in measuring customer satisfaction, including market research practitioners. It takes the reader on a logical journey from the theories of customer satisfaction/loyalty to the practical realities of conducting a meaningful survey that provides useful and valid information. There are lots of up-to-date examples of scales, analytic procedures, and best practices. I have at least 10 Post-Its in my copy, and expect the book to become well-worn as I am referring to it constantly. ... Read more

Book Description

Stung by corporate scandals, many companies have begun integrating terms like sustainable business, conscious capitalism, and corporate citizenship into their annual reports. Is it mere greenwashing or are businesses today really mending their ways? Can corporate social responsibility become the new gold standard in business? In Cause for Success, Christine Arena finds reasons to be optimistic while she examines new business paradigms for doing good and translating that good into profit. From Hewlett-Packard to British Petroleum to Stonyfield Farm and the Grameen Bank, the book profiles two case-study companies per chapter, exploring radical ideas about why ethics-driven companies are today's business trendsetters, how standing up for social justice garners competitive advantage, the bottom-line benefits of serving the world's poor, the potential business rewards of philanthropic partnerships, as well as how some of the worst corporate citizens have become some of the best. ... Read more

Book Description

An invaluable reference that helps salon employees know what to say to clients and co-workers in every salon situation. Geared toward increasing sales, developing customer loyalty, and pacifying difficult clients, the book is especially valuable as a tool to teach new stylists how to communicate verbally with clients. Customized scripts that can be used to inform clients of special events or sales are included.Just some of what you will learn includes: -How to communicate with clients faster and improve client dialogue-How to respond to clients, invoking a higher level of trust between client and stylist-Conversations that can drive sales, build positive relations, and resolve conflicts-The quickest way to develop rapport with new/prospective clients ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Overstated Blah Blah
I was disappointed in this book.It is a collection of artificialsituations with equally stilted responses.There's nothing in it you can'tcome up with on your own.

The book was a waste of time and money.I'dgive it a zero but there isn't one. ... Read more

Book Description

An enlightening and entertaining fable that reveals how you can help to revolutionize your company by focusing on customers.

Have you ever imagined what impact really great customer experiences can have on a business? Or have you ever been faced with trying to fix the fallout from truly dissatisfied customers? This engaging book takes you on a trip starting with the depths of "call center hell," where customer dissatisfaction builds as rapidly as employee stress and turnover.

From there the story takes you along for an up-and-down ride to uncover new and better ways of approaching customers and focusing on their concerns before all else. The Experience! follows the journey of Joseph Jacobs, a frustrated call center manager who is trying to deliver better service to customers despite a highly unmotivated staff. As he struggles to find his way, he discovers hidden secrets about delivering the most outrageously pleasing customer experiences by empowering his staff to be passionate about their work.

This book provides practical approaches that you can implement immediately. The lessons learned include: treat others as you want to be treated and keep customers excited-if you provide them with a great experience, then they will have no reason to go elsewhere! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Excellent Guidance
The author has selected the fable format, which works very well for me. I spend my days dealing with issues brought by senior executives of large corporate customers, and after a long day of negotiating against hard facts, it's nice to come home to a book that will teach through simple story line, with no pontificating lists of commandments and no autobiographical flag-waving. I have not found a customer relationship book with a better connect rate: over 95% of the material applies directly to my day-to-day dealings with eight- and nine-figure customers. The one issue for Mr Arussy, I think, will be to get other corporate executives to acknowledge that they MUST take the time to get involved with their customers, especially when the money supply is tight. From years of personal experience, I can tell you unequivocally that nothing -- let me repeat -- NOTHING takes the place of direct involvement with customers by all parts of the organization. Mr. Arussy's organic approach to the problem is exactly what it needed in most organizations. The one bit of advice I would offer to the author is that he may want to either (1) produce a second book which shows how these changes can be made from the top down, or (2) offer executive consulting to get these ideas into the hands of decision-makers within the organization.

If you deal with people - Read this book
After I read this book we invited Mr. Arussy to speak at our annual client conference. He was such an inspiration our clients purchased in excess of 200 copies of this outstanding book. We are a client service based company and have distributed this book to each of our help desk, sales and consulting associates. Many of them balked at reading a "story" but they all thanked us and gave rave reviews once completed. They were quite taken with how effective and pertinent to their positions that this story was. Mr. Arussy tells it like it is in today's client service industry. We have seen a new passion in our associates and it spills over to the client service we provide. This is a must read if you deal with people in any type of business!

This is the greatest marketing book i have ever read
By using the techniques I acquired from the book, I was able to gain much faster advancement in positions of management that allowed me to buy a new boat! Any investment of the price of a book with a return of a boat is a smart investment.
This book is a must buy!

It's actually not bad...
I HATE fable format books usually. But actually, this one has some serious points that are made, and show realistic ways in which the entire company can get involved in producing a better product, and create excellent customer relationships.

Among the things that a lot of companies should really consider are: showing company loyalty to your employees, and give them the authority to really solve the customers' problems. Having worked in customer service and retail for several years, I found that both of these are things that are usually missing from the typical environment a CSR encounters. Often, you'd love to help the customer out more, but you really don't have the authority to do anything, which is frustrating, both for you as a CSR, and for the customer even more.

I had to mark it down a star for the fable format, which really is annoying, as are the stereotypically dense and unrealistic workers. Plus the stupid napkin diagrams of the principles expressed are really insulting. But there's a lot of good information in the 120 or so pages that really needs to be looked at by a LOT of organizations, and the CSRs working for them.

As those fable books go, not too shabby!

if only
As a customer that is fed up with these so called "customer service" centers, it is nice to hear something that just might work. I have left some companies because of the wait and run around I got. A company that would actualy listen to my problems and fix them without me having to get rude would have me as a customer for a long time. ... Read more

Book Description

As the focal point for sales and service, a company's call/contact centers know what customers want and need. Companies looking for a competitive edge must convert their reactive, cost-oriented contact programs into proactive, revenue-generating, real-time contact centers. These centersprovide an outstanding customer experience, enhance loyalty, create new revenue, reduce expenses, and streamline the flow of information between the center and the rest of the company. The Real-Time Contact Center provides the tools, systems, implementation plans, best practices, ROI models, and practical guidance to make the transformation happen smoothly. Topics covered include:

* Building the business case for creating real-time contact centers
* Technologies and systems for increasing revenue while reducing expenses
* Building stronger and more profitable relationships with sales and marketing
* Improving self-service applications to heighten service quality and cut costs
* Staffing, motivation, and training in leading edge real-time contact centers
* Decision framework and best practices for offshore outsourcing ... Read more

Book Description

Excellent service is the foundation for services marketing, contend Leonard Berry and A. Parasuraman in this companion volume to Delivering Quality Service. Building on eight years of research, the authors develop a model for understanding the relationship between quality and marketing in services and offer dozens of practical insights into ways to improve services marketing. They argue that superior service cannot be manufactured in a factory, packaged, and delivered intact to customers. Though an innovative service concept may give a company an initial edge, superior quality is vital to sustaining success.

Berry and Parasuraman show that inspired leadership, a customer-minded corporate culture, an excellent service-system design, and effective use of technology and information are crucial to superior service quality and services marketing. When a company's service is excellent, customers are more likely to perceive value in transactions, spread favorable word-of-mouth impressions, and respond positively to employee-cross-selling efforts. The authors point out that a service company that does relatively little pre-sales marketing but is truly dedicated to delivering excellent quality service will have greater marketing effectiveness, higher customer retention, and more sales to existing customers than a company that emphasizes pre-sale marketing but falls short during actual service delivery. The focus of any company, they insist, must be customer satisfaction through integration of service quality throughout the entire system.

Filled with examples, stories, and insights from senior executives, Berry and Parasuraman's new framework for effective marketing services contains the key to high-performance services marketing. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"Hard Sell" to the Company Staff
The hardest sell for quality companies is to their staff. This book is a great help for management efforts to communicate effectively with staff the importance of providing high quality, caring customer service.

2nd one Ordered- pages falling from 1st one!
I'm a CFO for a large service company. I first read the book in an MBAprogram in 1991 and it has never left my "often used" book shelf.Extremely concrete explanations and examples that can be put into reallife.We are developing a training model for our employees from the book. Nothing but kudos for Berry and Parasuraman!

Truely a classic!
The terrible thing about Berry?s/Parasuraman?s book is that, altough it first has been published almost a decade ago, its message on the meaning and the importance of service hasn?t become more widespread. Why should youread this book? - Good ideas for new (meaning: not commonly known andaccepted) service ideas. - Useful checklists - Altough scientifically basedthe book is still easy and fun reading - Very good section oncomplaint-management ... Read more

Amazon.com

Seattle, the corporate coffeehouse capitol of the world, is the setting for Beans, a smart fable about a real ten foot coffee counter with long lines in rain or shine. Using the plot device of a business crisis at the "El Espresso," Authors Yerkes and Decker spend time with owner Jack Hartman. They help him define success in terms of "the eye of intention."

Being successful in bad times means remembering how you got the business the first time. As the very insightful Jack reflects, the authors organize his approach with four P’s: Passion (experience and sustain passion about work), People (create enduring staff relationships), Personal (building a community of regulars), and Product (sustaining product excellence). These "Ps" are prosaic in name only. They are used to illustrate nuanced connections. For example, the link between employee loyalty and customer loyalty and the synergy between an employee’s pride in their product and their devotion to it.

While some readers may find the storyline contrived, the success and the charm of the El and its owner--both renamed to protect the regulars--provide engaging and stimulating ideas about how to nourish a business. --Barbara Mackoff ... Read more

Reviews (46)

I Recommend You Buy "Beans!" Today
I like books that tell a story, use examples and create benefits that is I can use. "Beans: Four Principles for Running a Business in Good Times or Bad" is that kind of book!

The authors choose the "Ps" of Passion, People, Personnel and Product. They lead us through the success of Jack and Diane's coffee shop. It is an easy read. It will urge you to understand your workplace journey. It doesn't matter if you are an employer or the employee.

"Beans" is a journey from employment for a major airline (working for money), the unfulfilled entrepreneur step of self-employment selling martinis, and arriving at a passion for selling a cup of coffee. The realization that the "Ps" of Passion, People or Personnel will not make up for a quality Product leads Jack to develop the "best" cup of coffee! It takes all 4!

If you liked "Fish!" - you will like "Beans."

You might like to buy extra copies and give them to your personnel!

Back to Basics
In a world of high-end coffee drinks sometimes a plain old cup of coffee is better. The same thing goes for the business world, you can have all the flavors, colors and sizes, but if you don't take care of the customers you eventually won't have any. Good solid advice in this book, stick to the basics and take care of the customer. Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey is another book that offers practical, goal oriented business motivation for owners and employees.

Robert B. Mintz, Ph.D.
Elegantly simple! I usually loathe fables, preferring gritty text in business writing. It was recommended by a friend and I found it to be entertaining, engaging, and beautifully written. Its unique way of conveying the reassuring message that "the basics mean as much as ever in this chaotic world" is one we all need to be reminded of. This is a cautionary tale for consulting types (like yours truly) who tend to turn business problems into nuclear physics.

Even your most reading avoidant client or friend will love this. Buy a supply, I keep handing them out to people. Apparently there is another book in the works . . . I've pre-ordered it.

You will never look at another cup of coffee again in quite the same way . . . likewise, you will never approach a business challenge again in quite the same way.

Totally delightful
I have read a lot of these business fables, sometimes with a healthy dose of skepticism. This one is among the best. Even though the "principles" probably seem basic, I agree with the authors that people need to be reminded of them daily. The story itself holds up well on its own, but I think you can easily give or recommend this book to people on your staff who need a little "inspiration" and it will totally energize them.

The way to think about business
I heard about it. I bought it. I read it. I loved it. I believed it. I use it. It works. I succeed. ... Read more

Book Description

Read by the Author
Three Cassettes, 5 hours

Patricia Seybold has advised major companies not only on the technical requirements for a successful electronic commerce strategy, but also on the management, marketing, sales, and customer support systems necessary to create an infrastructure that seamlessly blends a company?s e-commerce initiative with overall business.

It all starts with customers.For the past several years, Seybold has been working with electronic commerce pioneers who have made life easier for their customers by figuring out what they want and designing their Internet strategy accordingly.Seybold?s guide is packed with insights on how both Fortune 500 giants and smaller companies have created e-commerce initiatives that place them well ahead of their competitors.

With additional in-depth examples from American Airlines, Amazon.com, Babson College, Bell Atlantic, Dell Computer, PhotoDisc, General Motors, and Cisco Systems, Customers.com is an exceptionally rich source of ideas and information; the one audiobook you need to stay in business in the rapidly changing era of electronic commerce.
... Read more

Reviews (113)

OVERCOME YOUR "STALLED" THINKING ABOUT E-COMMERCE PROFITS
CUSTOMERS.COM is a very valuable book in that it focuses both on how to serve customers on-line as well as how to make money doing so.

Like a good consultant, the author systematically looks at best practices from each of 16 cases, and combines the lessons into a vision of the future best practice (in 2-3 years) that no one is yet doing. This is an outstanding accomplishment, that is not matched in most best practice books.

I also visited the CUSTOMERS.COM Web site to register for the free booklet that is offered, and was pleased to get many ideas to improve our own electronic commerce. Be sure to check here from time to time, because the author updates the 16 case histories in the book on the Web site so that you can keep up-to-date. That is an especially nice touch.

Ms. Seybold does a nice job in CUSTOMERS.COM of critiquing each case history for ways that organization could improve. Let me do the same for her book. Several things stand out. First, the book does not go into enough detail about how to find the weaknesses in current operations that will permit greater profitability through changed processes facilitated by electronic commerce. There is a lot of best practice work needed in those areas before you start thinking about electronic commerce. Second, she does not address the question of what the ideal best practice of electronic commerce is. You might think of a well-informed concierge in a great hotel who knows you well as the model for this ideal best practice. Third, more needs to be done to help you learn how to facilitate the change process. The steps she describes would be very difficult for many organizations to implement that are beset by severe stalls in the form of tradition, disbelief, misconceptions, bureaucracy, avoiding the unattractive (such as customer problems), procrastination, and miscommunication. Fourth, the book highlights a lot of very interesting case histories and shows their successes. I was struck that although I am a heavy Web user and a substantial customer of many of these organizations, I did not know about the electronic services they offer. It sounds like many of these organizations still have a communications problem with their customers. Fifth, the available technology will advance a lot in the next five years. I felt the book does not do enought to make people aware of how technology that is not yet available can facilitate the future success of their electronic commerce.

No book can serve all needs in an area, so we can look forward to Ms. Seybold's next book. I enjoyed the personal touch as she described her own experiences with many of the companies involved. I hope she keeps in touch with them and us. I suspect she will based on the e-mails I get from her after registering on her site.

Highly Recommended!
Although it was just published in 1998, Customers.com quickly attained the status of an Internet business classic. Of course, that title might be a bit dubious now that the book has outlived many of the companies that tried to put its strategies into practice. But despite your view on the viability of e-businesses, there's no denying the innovation and thoroughness of Patricia B. Seybold's work. Don't be misled by her breezy style; this is an authoritative and informative book. Seybold gets right to the heart of the links between business and technology. Using plenty of examples from major corporations, she suggests eight major strategies for harnessing the power of technology, especially the Internet, to advance your business. Since the book's initial publication, many other authors have espoused these e-tenets, but we [...] advise you to read the original - Seybold probably said it first, and probably said it best. Remember, the collapse of the tech bubble didn't wash away the Internet, which could still prove to be a critical element of your business.

Good book but needs updating now.
With so much changes in the internet business, this is a good reading to understand how should you start, but new technologies are available now. This book was written in 98, so Patricia Seybold should rewrite.

An education in itself...
Being a college student, I was at first reluctant to read Seybold's book as a class assignment. In hindsight, it's one of the best decisions I could've made. This book presents dynamic ideas that are being overlooked at universities today. Rather than focusing on the "how to's" Customers.com gives you the "why's" of the customer market. Talk about making me think! Not only did this book provide an excellent point of reference for class discussions, I found myself unconsciously transferring the knowledge into my job. One thing to take note of: THIS IS MORE THAN A TECHIES BOOK! Anyone in business will undoubtedly benefit from reading it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Remains solid
Got this when it came out and gave it a read. Three years have passed and I just referred to it to support writing a paper on technology. The details are good and