Table Of Content

01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page iii Customer Service FOR ‰ DUMmIES 3RD EDITION by Karen Leland and Keith Bailey 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page ii 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page i Customer Service FOR ‰ DUMmIES 3RD EDITION 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page ii 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page iii Customer Service FOR ‰ DUMmIES 3RD EDITION by Karen Leland and Keith Bailey 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page iv ® Customer Service For Dummies , 3rd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006920629 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-76869-2 ISBN-10: 0-471-76869-3 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3O/RS/QU/QW/IN 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page v About the Authors Karen Leland and Keith Bailey are cofounders of Sterling Consulting Group, Inc., an international management consulting firm specializing in maximizing results through the people side of business. They have a combined 25 years of experience in this field and have worked with over 100,000 executives, managers, and front- line staff from a wide variety of industries including retail, trans- portation, hospitality, banking, and consumer goods. Their consulting work in corporations and public speaking engagements has taken them throughout North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Their clients have included such companies as AT&T, American Express, Apple Computer, Avis Rent A Car, Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, The British Government, DuPont, SC Johnson Wax, Lufthansa German Airlines, Pacific Bell, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name a few. In addition to their consulting work, Karen and Keith are sought after by the media as experts on quality service. They have been interviewed by dozens of newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations including The Associated Press International, The British Broadcasting Company, CBS, CNN, Entrepreneur magazine, Fortune magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, Sales & Marketing Management magazine, TIME magazine, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Karen Leland and Keith Bailey are the authors of the previous two editions of Customer Service For Dummies, which have sold over 200,000 copies to date and been translated into numerous languages including Spanish, German, Korean, and Polish, among others. In addition, they are the authors of Watercooler Wisdom: How Smart People Prosper in the Face of Conflict, Pressure and Change (New Harbinger, 2006). For further information, please view their Web site at www.scgtraining.com. 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page vi Training, Consulting, and Keynote Speeches Sterling Consulting Group offers a variety of training programs, consulting, and keynote speeches in the area of how to improve quality service. Karen and Keith are among the highest-rated presenters on the training/ speaking circuit and offer programs that are ⻬ Customized to reflect your specific needs, concerns, and industry ⻬ Highly interactive, fun, and lively ⻬ Based on practical, real-world information that attendees can use immediately Among the customer service improvement programs that SCG offers are: The Service Advantage — a one-day customer relations workshop for front- line staff. Also available as an online training program. Service Management and Teambuilding — a two-day program for managers on how to create an environment for quality service Building A Winning Quality Service Strategy — a one-day program for senior executives designed to facilitate developing a strategy for creating a more customer-focused company The Quality Service Audit — a comprehensive survey and evaluation that helps a company or division identify how customer-focused they are cur- rently and target specific areas for improvement Essential E-mail — a half-day training session designed to help participants improve their overall email efficiency and compose messages with style and impact. Also available as an online training program. To learn more about SCG, the above programs or any of our other training programs (including team building, conflict resolution, coaching) please visit our Web site at www.scgtraining.com. Some things you can do at this site are ⻬ See a video clip of Keith and Karen in action ⻬ Take a mini-audit to see how customer-focused your company is ⻬ Check out our live and online training products ⻬ Review the table of contents for our other books 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page vii If you are interested in speaking to us about any of the above, please contact Karen Leland/Keith Bailey at: Sterling Consulting Group, Inc. 180 Harbor Drive #208 Sausalito, CA 94965 Phone: (415) 331-5200 Fax: (415) 331-5272 E-mail: 01_768693 ffirs.qxp 3/24/06 5:42 PM Page viii Dedication For my father, Cecil Frederick Bailey, 1919-2005 — Keith Bailey To my parents, for encouraging education and imparting to me my love of learning — Karen Frances Leland