Service Failure: The Real Reasons Employees Struggle With Customer Service and What You Can Do About It

Note: A revised second edition is now available. The book has a new title, Getting Service Right, and includes updated research and examples.

Customer service goals have been articulated, messages drilled, and incentive programs created. But many employees still deliver lackluster service. What does it take to get them functioning as stellar frontline representatives of the company?

Rather than offering another set of tactics for improving customer service, this book takes a novel approach by rooting out the real reasons employees aren’t delivering the service they should. The results can be both surprising and illuminating, such as:•

Company culture doesn’'t always support service excellence•

Over-emphasis on cost reduction often increases the cost of service•

Employees are torn between doing the right thing for the customer and following policy•

Poor products and services can make helping the customer nearly impossible•

Employees’ interests often don’'t align with company goals

Once core problems are identified, the book offers corrective solutions, including redirecting coaching efforts, revisiting policies and procedures, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and more. Filled with inside stories from well-known organizations and the latest scientific research, Service Failure helps people overcome the obstacles preventing them from doing their very best.