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The former Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World shares indispensible Rules for serving customers with consistency, efficiency, creativity, sincerity, and excellence.
Lee Cockerell knows that success in business—any business—depends upon winning and keeping customers. In 39 digestible, bite-sized chapters, Lee shares everything he has learned in his 40+ year career in the hospitality industry about creating an environment that keeps customers coming back for more. Here, Lee not only shows why the customer always rules, but also the Rules for serving customers so well they'll never want to do business with anyone but you. For example: Rule #1: Customer Service Is Not a Department Rule #3: Great Service Follows the Laws of Gravity Rule #5: Ask Yourself "What Would Mom Do?" Rule #19: Be a Copycat Rule #25. Treat Every Customer like a Regular Rule #39: Don’t Try Too Hard As simple as they are profound, these principles have been shown to work in companies as large as Disney and as small as a local coffee shop; from businesses selling cutting-edge technologies like computer tablets to those selling products as timeless as shoes and handbags; at corporations as long-standing as Ford Motors and those as nascent as a brand new start-up. And they have been proven indispensible at all levels of a company, from managers responsible for hiring and training employees, setting policies and procedures, and shaping the company culture to front line staff who deal directly with clients and customers Chock-full of universal advice, applicable online and off, The Customer Rules is the essential handbook for service excellence everywhere.
The former Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World shares indispensible Rules for serving customers with consistency, efficiency, creativity, sincerity, and excellence.
Lee Cockerell knows that success in business—any business—depends upon winning and keeping customers. In 39 digestible, bite-sized chapters, Lee shares everything he has learned in his 40+ year career in the hospitality industry about creating an environment that keeps customers coming back for more. Here, Lee not only shows why the customer always rules, but also the Rules for serving customers so well they'll never want to do business with anyone but you. For example: Rule #1: Customer Service Is Not a Department Rule #3: Great Service Follows the Laws of Gravity Rule #5: Ask Yourself "What Would Mom Do?" Rule #19: Be a Copycat Rule #25. Treat Every Customer like a Regular Rule #39: Don’t Try Too Hard As simple as they are profound, these principles have been shown to work in companies as large as Disney and as small as a local coffee shop; from businesses selling cutting-edge technologies like computer tablets to those selling products as timeless as shoes and handbags; at corporations as long-standing as Ford Motors and those as nascent as a brand new start-up. And they have been proven indispensible at all levels of a company, from managers responsible for hiring and training employees, setting policies and procedures, and shaping the company culture to front line staff who deal directly with clients and customers Chock-full of universal advice, applicable online and off, The Customer Rules is the essential handbook for service excellence everywhere.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Excerpts-
Chapter One
Rule #1
Customer Service Is Not a Department
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my forty-plus years in the business world, it’s that customer service is far more than a department name or a desk that shoppers or clients go to with problems and complaints. It’s not a website, or a phone number, or an option on a pre-recorded phone menu. Nor is it a task or a chore. It’s a personal responsibility. And it’s not the responsibility only of people called customer service reps. It’s the responsibility of everyone in the organization, from the CEO to the newest and lowest-ranking frontline employee. In fact, everyone in the company should be thought of as a customer service rep, because in one way or another each of them has some impact on, and bears some responsibility for, the quality of the customer experience. Even if you never see or speak to a customer (or potential customer), you need to treat everyone with whom you interact—your vendors, your creditors, your suppliers, and so on—with sincerity and respect. Trust me, the great service you give them will ultimately trickle down to your customers.
Great service serves bottom-line business objectives. Sounds simple, but I constantly meet executives who don’t understand that. They say things like “I’m in the commodity business, and it’s all about the product.” I tell them that they’d better have a great product, because the most extraordinary customer service in the world won’t compensate for a bad one. But then I tell them that unless their product is the only one of its kind on the planet (and will always be the only one), good quality alone won’t guarantee long-term profits. Time and again, customer service has been shown to be the best way to distinguish an outstanding company or organization from its competitors. Let’s face it, no matter what business or industry you’re in, there’s probably someone—or many someones—who offers more or less the same product or service you do. But if you provide the same product plus personal service that feels authentic, you will have a leg up. No matter what business you’re in, great service is a competitive advantage that costs you little or nothing but adds huge value for your customer. And it’s one advantage you can’t afford to pass up, because in today’s highly competitive marketplace your customers will leave you in a heartbeat if your service doesn’t measure up. Don’t take my word for it; look at the research. In one study, customers were asked why they stopped doing business with a company. Forty-three percent named “negative experience with a staff person” as the main reason for taking their business elsewhere, and 30 percent said they moved on because they were made to feel they were not a valued customer.
My point is that most people expect quality products and services. It’s the lowest common denominator. But if your company gives people the products or services they want and customer service that exceeds their expectations, you have an unbeatable combination, and one your competition can’t easily imitate. Don’t get confused about the difference between the services you sell and customer service. Services are what consumers come to you for and pay for. Customer service encompasses the entire experience, from the moment a person logs on to your website or walks through your front door until the moment they log off or walk out. It’s what brings the human factor into a transaction. Some hardened number types scoff at the notion of the human factor. But as I’ve learned over...
About the Author-
Lee Cockerell is the author of Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney, among others. He is the former Executive Vice President of Operations of Walt Disney World and has held executive positions at Hilton Hotels and Marriott. During his distinguished career in the hospitality industry Cockerell earned a worldwide reputation as an expert on the customer experience. Cockerell travels the country addressing audiences at Fortune 100 companies; educational institutions and non-profits; and government agencies, including the US military.
Reviews-
December 17, 2012 Cockerell, a service industry veteran and former executive v-p of operations at Walt Disney World, offers a slim, obvious listing of the rules of customer service. The author of Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney, Cockerell believes that treating customers right is the most important goal of any business, which will directly serve the business’s bottom line. The book is designed to help readers of any position or title achieve that goal. The 39 titular rules are solid, but nothing new: “Ask yourself: ‘What Would Mom Do?’ ”; “Always Act Like a Professional”; “Become an Expert at Creating Experts”; “Make Yourself Available”; “Don’t Just Make Promises, Make Guarantees”; and “Be Reliable.” Cockerell’s chatty, friendly tone is charming and credible, but there’s nothing that hasn’t been said before elsewhere. Agent: Lynn Franklin, Lynn C. Franklin Associates.
and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.
"At Zappos, many of our business decisions revolve around the customer. Lee Cockerell understands the importance of a great customer experience and shows you how to Deliver Happiness to your customers."-Tony Hsieh, NY Times bestselling author of "Delivering Happiness"
-Al Weiss, Former President, Disney Parks and Resorts,Worldwide
"The Customer Rules is easy to read and understand, but profound in so many ways! If companies and leaders would follow this advice their customers and business would be significantly better."
New York Times bestselling author of MOJO and What Got You Here Won't Get You There.
"No matter what industry you're in or what kind of company you work for, if customer service isn't priority, your business will get crushed. This book shows that any employee at any level of an organization can take pride in serving customers with excellence -- in doing so they bolster both their career and their company profits!"
-Fred Whyte, President, STIHL Incorporated
"Lee Cockerell offers practical, reader friendly suggestions and guidelines which can be implemented immediately to enhance and improve customer service at any company."
-Mark Sanborn, Bestselling author of The Fred Factor
"Lee Cockerell has written a wise and practical book chock full of ideas about delivering sensational service. He illustrates his lessons with engaging stories about real-life people doing extraordinary things for others. I love it."
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