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Service Failure

The Real Reasons Employees Struggle with Customer Service and What You Can Do About It

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Service Failure

By: Jeff Toister
Narrated by: Walter Dixon
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About this listen

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 audiobook 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 audiobook 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.

©2012 Jeff Toister (P)2012 Gildan Media LLC
Customer Service Management Management & Leadership Marketing & Sales Employment Marketing Business Leadership

Critic reviews

“Remove the obstacles that get in the way of providing excellent customer service. With multiple strategies supported by real-life examples, Jeff Toister teaches how to avoid service failure and provide service success.” (Shep Hyken, New York Times bestselling author of The Amazement Revolution)
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Most relevant  
The best thing about the book is the structure and end of chapter key points. The end of the book is also nicely tied together.

The books biggest failing however is that the content is only so so, I’ve read it put across better elsewhere with better examples to back up the key messages.

I found the delivery average at best, not painful like some audiobooks but I just couldn’t connect, I found it a tad dreary.

I finished reading it and there were a few things I picked up but wouldn’t recommend given the alternatives out there.

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