What to Say to a Porcupine: 20 Humorous Tales That Get to the Heart of Great Customer Service

THis is a great book on the basics of customer service. You can even read it to your children to inculcate good service behaviours from young. Different animals are featured in the 20 stories to illustrate the bad service behaviours that we tend to exhibit unconsciously and the impact from the customers' perspectives. The questions at the end of each story sets you thinking about how you can apply each service basic in your company. You can use this book to conduct small group service training.

It's easy to think we don't need one more book on "Customer Service" - yet we still get BAD customer service everywhere. Kudos to Richard Gallagher for taking a new, funny spin on this topic, thereby nudging us to give a new look at how we can give better customer service. I especially liked the Moral and the Discussion Questions at the end of each chapter because they nail down that everyone drew the same lesson and made me think about how I would apply this information to my business, which is the point of the book in the first place.

WHAT TO SAY TO A PORCUPINE: 20 HUMOROUS TALES THAT GET TO THE HEART OF GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE is a fun, easily-read guide which uses the format of Aesop's fables to illustrate basic principles of customer service, from listening to customer needs to adjusting behaviors. The result is a light but pointed read perfect for both business and general lending libraries. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

`What to say to a Porcupine' is an invaluable resource for anyone who works with customers on a regular basis. This easy-to-read book contains a few questions at the end of each chapter to facilitate thought provoking discussions on the important role of customer service in any organization. Learning has never been so fun!

I have been a management consultant and psychologist for over 15 years. As I am constantly looking for memorable and humorous ways to help clients remember valuable psychological principles, I applaud Rich Gallagher and his porcupines. Gallagher's fables are fun and, ahem, to the point. They are based on solid psychology and excellent common sense. I especially appreciate Gallagher's reminder that there is not only one way to handle customer service. He notes that not everyone appreciates the nonstop 100-watt smile and an overdose of "chipper", so it pays to have different personality styles in the customer service department. The book is thin and easy to read; Gallagher's message is worth your time.