Service America!

this is a very important book for anyone interested in running a business in the 21st century. i took a class from karl albrecht back in the late '70s and was impressed that this was a very bright guy. i read his book, "brain power" and when service america came out i bought it right away. this book is the first articulation of the process of management of a service organization as something entirely distinct from the traditional manufacturing model from which management as we know it emerged. it was very timely then as the service and information economies were really taking hold and it is even more timely today. i was just referencing the book for a quote for my newsletter and i was curious to see if it was still in print and delighted that it is. it should be required reading for every MBA and/or anyone who aspires to lead a business large or small. even manufacturing today looks much more like service business than it did in henry ford's day when you could "have any color you wanted as long as it was black".it will get your gears grinding as you begin to see all the ways in which your company is service 'unfriendly'. but it will give you a powerful conceptual framework for working with your teams to create systems for delighting your customers.buy it. read it. mark it up. buy a copy for everyone on your management team. talk about it. then put it to work. it will make you lots of money, make your employees and customers happier, and put you a step ahead of your competitors.

This often-quoted classic still has a lot to say about the service frenzy of today's market, a phenomena that it predicted in its first edition more than fifteen years ago. Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke have written a powerful, no-nonsense book filled with illustrative examples. If many of their insights seem to be common sense by now, it is only because so many of them have become a part of our collective business unconscious. If this volume was prophetic then (1985), it is indispensable now. We from getAbstract recommend this book to managers and executives throughout the corporate hierarchy.

Tired of all of those "smile and be friendly" customer service approaches? As a leader this book was instrumental in getting me started in knowing what to do within my division to improve customer service.

Pick this book up, grab your pen, and start taking notes. Albrecht and Zemke have tapped the fountain of proven total customer service strategies. No touchy-feely management fluff here, but rather a proven service strategy aligning customers, employees, and systems along a common plane. As with any product, we try to improve it. These two authors get it right: Service is a product - Let's improve it until our customers say its perfect. Then make it better. From customer moment-of-truths to the importance of out-focused organizational structures, Service America provides insight into the mind of the customer and why they flock to companies offering stellar customer service. This book exposes the truth we often overlook: Service is the Competitive Edge.