The Best Service is No Service

In this groundbreaking book, Bill Price and David Jaffe offer a new, game-changing approach, showing how managers are taking the wrong path and are using the wrong metrics to measure customer service. Customer service, they assert, is only needed when a company does something wrong—eliminating the need for service is the best way to satisfy customers. To be successful, companies need to treat service as a data point of dysfunction and figure what they need to do to eliminate the demand. The Best Service Is No Service outlines these seven principles to deliver the best service that ultimately leads to "no service": Eliminate dumb contacts Create engaging self-service Be proactive Make it easy to contact your company Own the actions across the company Listen and act Deliver great service experiences

Introduction: Why We Wrote This Book xi 1 Challenge Customer Demand for Service: Instead of Coping with Demand 1 2 Eliminate Dumb Contacts: Instead of Handling Them Again and Again 29 3 Create Engaging Self-Service: Instead of Preventing Contact 65 4 Be Proactive: Instead of Waiting to Respond 99 5 Make It Really Easy to Contact Your Company: Instead of Dodging the Bullet 125 6 Own the Actions Across the Organization: Instead of Blaming Customer Service 165 7 Listen and Act: Instead of Letting Customer Insights Slip Away 203 8 Deliver Great Service Experiences: How to Delight Customers with Awesome Support When They Need It 241 Appendix A: Best Service Survey 277 Appendix B: Glossary 287 Appendix C: Bibliography 293 Notes 299 Acknowledgments 301 About the Authors 305 Index 307