Have you ever noticed that most of the advice about creating great customer service comes from the world of big business? It suggests that in order to develop excellence you need to learn from global Hotel chains, enormous car rental companies, luxury department stores or massive technology firms. If you are a small business this kind of advice is well-intentioned but often of little use. You likely know already that outstanding customer service can be a real difference maker when it comes to small businesses, but how exactly does a small business develop outstanding service? You won't do it by copying what Airlines or online shopping giants do.
Customer service is not getting better, it's getting worse. Almost everybody has a story to share about a terrible customer service experience. These stories span almost every kind of business and can be found all over the globe. Really smart businesses understand that this is not good enough. If you want to remain in business, remain profitable and keep your best customers you need more than ever to focus on making sure you're better than the rest. The best way to differentiate your business from your competition is the quality of the service you provide. Nowhere is this more important than the world of small business.
In these pages you'll learn how customer service has become so bad as you explore the specific things businesses do that damage the customer's experience. You'll find out what customers really want and why they behave as they do. You'll see what you need to do to re-focus on customer service, and how to create the right environment to deliver excellent service every time. You'll identify the mistakes that are routinely made in business and how to avoid them. Finally you'll learn the best way to include and manage your most precious assets, your employees, as you begin the journey to excellence in customer service. You'll find resources, vivid examples and valuable tips for putting the ideas into action inside your own business. The book is written for action, showing you where and how to put your focus on the things that will matter most to your business. A career of working with great organizations teaches that it's not about throwing unlimited resources, money and technology at a business that creates a great customer experience. You'll learn that it's much simpler than that, and doesn't require any of those expensive inputs. Many before you have tried and failed to become excellent at customer service because they failed to understand what it really requires. This book is designed with the small business in mind and explains what really matters to the customers of a small business, and what makes for a great customer service experience. There are hundreds of books on the market packed with advice on customer service. The advice is sound but comes from a different world, the world of big business. This book is written specifically for small businesses and provides practical and straightforward ideas and advice that every small business can use. If you're a small business and know you can't continue to compete on price, scale, reach or some other big business advantage then this book is for you. You'll see how to take advantage of the one thing you possess that bigger competitors can't match.. your close and local relationship with customers. Get that relationship right and you can compete with and defeat much bigger competitors. A first-of-its-kind book for small businesses, The Small Business Advantage will show you how unlock the amazing potential of your small business, and how to create a unique and sustainable advantage to grow your business and retain your loyal and profitable customers in the years ahead.
About the Author: Justin Kinnear has worked as a professional Trainer, Facilitator, Lecturer and Executive Coach for over two decades. Having initially worked in the technical environment providing foreign language support to customers, Justin quickly discovered a passion for excellence in service and a desire to help others cultivate a similar passion for excellence. Justin's career since includes technical, commercial, personnel and leadership roles at IBM Corporation, Creative Labs, Britvic Soft Drinks and the Irish Management Institute. Nowadays Justin spends his time diagnosing and addressing organizational problems, coaching business leaders, and tutoring postgraduate students that wish to transform their organizations. Justin is a co-founder of The Talent Factory, a specialist organizational development consultancy based in Dublin, Ireland.