This volume presents concepts, policies and cost models for various long-term warranty and maintenance contracts. It offers several numerical examples for estimating costs to both the manufacturer and consumer. Long-term warranties and maintenance contracts are becoming increasingly popular, as these types of aftersales services provide assurance to consumers that they can enjoy long, reliable service, and protect them from defects and the potentially high costs of repairs. Studying long-term warranty and service contracts is important to manufacturers and consumers alike, as offering long-term warranty and maintenance contracts produce additional costs for manufacturers / service providers over the product's service life. These costs must be factored into the price, or the manufacturer / dealer will incur losses instead of making a profit. On the other hand, the buyer / consumer needs to weigh the cost of maintaining it over its service life and to decide whether or not these policies are worth purchasing. There are a number of complexities involved in developing failure and cost models for these policies due to uncertainties concerning the service life, usage pattern, maintenance work and long-term costs of rectifications. Mathematical models for predicting failures and expected costs for various one-dimensional long-term warranty policies are developed at the system level and analyzed by taking into account the uncertainties in connection with longer coverage periods and the rectification costs over the warranty period. Failures and costs are modeled using stochastic techniques and illustrated by means of numerical examples for estimating costs to the manufacturer and consumer. Various rectification policies are proposed and analyzed. The models developed here can be used to aid in managerial decisions on purchasing products with long-term warranty policies and maintenance contracts or outsourcing maintenance.

Master the exceptional customer service skills that are most important in all types of organizations today with the powerful, practical presentation in THE WORLD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE, 3rd Edition. This book demonstrates how effective customer services techniques can help readers and their organizations achieve critical goals, deal with problems and complaints, consistently exceed customer expectations, and create loyal customers. Readers focus on the strategies most important in customer service today with insights and memorable examples from practicing professionals. Several new chapters highlight how to maximize revenue and customer satisfaction, effectively solve problems and resolve complaints, and better understand the impact and potential of today's social media. Future and practical professionals also gain new insights on establishing their own personal customer service habits for success in all areas of business.

A timely look at effective use of social network analysis within the telecommunications industry to boost customer relationships

The key to any successful company is the relationship that it builds with its customers. This book shows how social network analysis, analytics, and marketing knowledge can be combined to create a positive customer experience within the telecommunications industry.Reveals how telecommunications companies can effectively enhance their relationships with customersProvides the groundwork for defining social network analysisDefines the tools that can be used to address social network problems

A must-read for any professionals eager to distinguish their products in the marketplace, this book shows you how to get it done right, with social network analysis.

Social Customer Service is new. Social Media is the biggest thing happening to the customer service industry since the mid 1960s when modern day call centres were born. It is taking customers and organisations into untested ways of relating: transparently, collaboratively, instantly. The consequences of great and poor service are forever changed. Customer appetite has promoted this form of interaction to the very front of a race to understand. How do digital brands and empowered customers actually behave? Social Customer Service has become Marketing s R&D lab and a listening hub for the rest of the organisation. It is now where corporate reputations are most likely to be won and lost. Delivering Effective Social Customer Service is a complete reference for achieving excellence in this new discipline. It caters to both novice and expert. It is perfect source material for service leaders and digital marketers to read together. Every CXO will recognise in the book a blueprint from which to build their next generation organisation. Even ambitious team leaders should snag a copy for instant subject matter expertise kudos! The centre of the book offers an in depth self-assessment of the competencies that matter. The book is jammed full of strategic insight, action lists, best practice tips and interviews. All the resources anyone needs to build a solid strategy and roadmap. Early adopter workshops based on the book have already taken place and will continue to be offered as another way of engaging with the book s key lessons. An online resource of the reference material is also provided. Options for an online community are under consideration. This book is the first of its kind. A distillation of what has so far been collectively discovered. Then filtered and expanded through the collective experience of two leading authorities on customer service: Carolyn Blunt and Martin Hill-Wilson.

This book investigates customer perceptions and expectations of complaint channels. In addition to the conventional channels, the adequacy of online social networks as new complaint channel is analysed. The managerial recommendations to improve customer satisfaction are based on a survey and reveal critical determinants of customer channel choice and their expectation and perception of each complaint channel.

This practice- and research-based book caters to the needs of executive managers who see customer satisfaction as their primary goal. The authors identify the need for an effective complaint management strategy that prevents the loss of dissatisfied customers. Dissatisfied customers are at risk of migrating; accordingly, neglecting professional complaint management poses a considerable threat to customer relationships, sales and profits. The book offers a comprehensive management concept, which emphasizes direct contact with the complainant by employing complaint stimulation, acceptance, processing and reaction. Further, it discusses the relevant 'backstage' tasks involved in using complaint information to achieve quality improvements and cost reductions through complaint analysis, controlling and reporting.

Today it is no longer enough to simply provide a service - companies who want to stay in business must also provide impeccable service with such consistency, integrity and creativity that people who experience it will not only keep coming back for more, but recommend your business to their friends, families, and colleagues. 'The Customer Rules' is entirely focused on one ultimate goal: to help you, no matter what your position or job title, secure the most revenue-boosting asset you could wish for: a reputation for excellent service.

In "The Relationship Marketer", Soren Hougaard and Mogens Bjerre explain how the concept of the dyad (i.e., mutuality, or "you and me") is quickly becoming a fundamental principle in marketing. The authors suggest that understanding customer relationships, value co-creation, and customised business models in which effectiveness is evaluated on an individualised basis leads to outstanding business performance. Based on these principles the authors present a concrete and practically manageable framework for implementation. Readers will find surprising, useful, and applicable marketing models, typologies and tools, as well as guides to the systematic generation of strategic opportunities. "The Relationship Marketer" will be valuable reading for students and professionals in sales and marketing, as well as anyone seeking insights into dyadic market forces, which are moving industry beyond the outdated perspective of treating all customers equally.

This book presents techniques that reflect the vast and varied experience of the authors. They have produced an array of highly effective guest satisfaction techniques from which even the most veteran hoteliers can learn and benefit. With this practical, easy-to-use book, there is no need to sift through pages of narratives in order to identify actionable tactics and strategies that can be applied at the property-level. The book presents one unique and actionable customer satisfaction technique on each page-a useful feature for busy managers.

Berry-AMA Book Prize FINALIST 2011! "The Right Sensory Mix" is one of the four best marketing books in 2011 according to the American Marketing Association Foundation. The Berry-AMA Book Prize is awarded annually be the Foundation (AMAF) and recognizes books whose innovative ideas have had significant impact on marketing and related fields. For additional information about the Berry-AMA Book Prize, visit Berry-AMA Book Prize. Why do some people drink black coffee and others stick to tea? Why do some people prefer competitors' products? Why do we sell less in this country? Many companies fail to acknowledge and analyze disparities observed among customers and simply put them down to culture or emotion. New neuroendocrinological research proves that consumers are rational: They just have a different biological perception of the same stimulus! Their preferences, behavior, and decisions are strongly influenced by the hundreds of millions of sensors monitoring their body and brain. People with more taste buds are for example sensitive to bitterness and are more likely to drink their coffee with sugar or milk, or to drink tea. After reading the book, managers will be able to: * Understand and predict consumers' behavior and preferences * Design the right sensory mix (color, shape, taste, smell, texture, and sound) for each product * Fine-tune their positioning and product range for every local market * Systematically increase their innovation hit rate

Customers are treated badly. Not all customers. Not always. But many are and often. Some customers are bad. They treat firms badly. Firms have to react. Employees and customers endure the consequences. Such bad behaviours, by firms and customers, have consequences for perceptions of trust and fairness, for endorsements and referrals, for repeat purchasing and loyalty, and ultimately for a firm's profitability and RoI. The management of customer relationships is core to the success and even survival of the firm. As The Dark Side of CRM explores, this is an area fraught with difficulties, duplicitous practice and undesirable behaviours. These need acknowledging, mitigating and controlling. This book is the first of its kind to define these dark sides, exploring also how firms and policy-makers might address such behaviours and manage them successfully. With contributions from many of the leading exponents globally of CRM and understanding customers, The Dark Side of CRM is essential reading for students, researchers and practitioners interested in managing customers, relationship marketing and CRM, as well as social media and marketing strategy.

CRM Systems in Industrial Companies contributes new knowledge on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the field of industrial marketing. Based on an in-depth case study, this book highlights the complexity and challenges in the development, implementation and use of CRM, revealing how truly challenging it is to extract value from CRM systems.

Explains how all institutions have to turn their relationship with stakeholders into a 'social' one, which involves designing new Trust and Engagement strategies. A specific indication on how to build and measure value out of these strategies is offered by the innovative 'Value for Engagement Model'.

Service Systems Implementation provides the latest applications and practices aimed at improving the key performance indicators of service systems, especially those related to service quality, service productivity, regulatory compliance, and sustainable service innovation. The book presents action-oriented, application-oriented, design science-oriented (artifacts building: constructs, models, methods and instantiations) and case study-oriented research with actionable results by illustrating techniques that can be employed in large scale, real world examples. The case studies will help visualize service systems along the four key dimensions of people, information, technology and value propositions which can help enable better integration between them towards higher value propositions. The chapters, written by leading experts in the field, examine a wide range of substantive issues and implementations related to service science in various industries. These contributions also showcase the application of an array of research methods, including surveys, experiments, design science, case studies and frameworks, providing the reader with insights and guidelines to assist in building their own service systems, and thus, moving toward a more favorable service customer and provider experience. Service Systems Implementation, along with its companion text, The Science of Service Systems, is designed to present multidisciplinary and multisectoral perspectives on the nature of service systems, on research and practice in service, and on the future directions to advance service science. These two volumes compose a collection of articles from those involved in the emerging area known as service science.

Marketing has become the dominant connecting mode of expression between business and non-business organisations and customers and consumers. However, there are some misgivings about marketing in the 21st century. This volume addresses the positive and negative elements of marketing and questions 'Is marketing a leviathan in today's societies?'

Customer loyalty is essential to the long term financial success of your business, but with more choice then ever before, customers today have high expectations of the products and services they use. To continue to meet - and even to exceed - these high expectations, you need a top notch customer services system in place, and Customer Care Excellence will enable you to achieve just that. In clear, practical language, this book takes you through how you can develop and sustain a customer-service focus within your company. Emphasizing both strategic and practical aspects of customer care, Customer Care Excellence explains how gaining customer commitment and motivating employees to deliver an excellent service at all your company's touch points can ensure successful results and satisfied customers. This fully revised and updated edition includes new material examining the impact of social networking on customer behaviour and the emotional connection customers have with the brand, explaining how you can create a memorable customer experience. Author Sarah Cook takes you through the practical steps necessary to create a culture of customer focus and, crucially, shows how employee engagement leads to customer engagement.

Understand the impact of a global ageing population on how products are bought, and the effect this has on how to market and advertise these products and services to the older generation of consumers. Contains models for companies to evaluate the success of their own strategies, with tools for improving their age-friendly marketing campaigns.

The internet has changed the way consumers interact with companies. Businesses must maintain good levels of customer service in a digital world where old strategies may no longer suffice. This book explores what the successful compliance-centred businesses are doing to manage and improve customer experience.

Bring Disney-level customer experience to your organization with insider guidance The Experience is a unique guide to mastering the art of customer service and service relationships, based on the principles employed at the renowned leader in customer experience - the Walt Disney Company. Co-Author Bruce Loeffler spent ten years at Disney World overseeing service excellence, and has partnered with Brian T. Church in this book, to show you how to bring that same level of care and value to your own organization. Based on the I. C.A.R.E. model, the five principles Impression, Connection, Attitude, Response, and Exceptionals give you a solid framework upon which to raise the level of your customer experience. You will learn how to identify your customer service issues and what level of Experience you are currently offering. You can then determine exactly what the "customer experience" should be for your company, and the changes required to make it happen. The Walt Disney Company is the most recognized name in the world for customer service. The "Disney Experience" draws customers from all around the world,. This book describes what it takes to achieve that level of Experience, and how any organization can do it with the right strategy and attention to detail. When the Experience is enhanced, the opportunity arises to convert customers to ambassadors who will share their Experience with others. * Find "the experience" and what it means to the Organization * Learn the five levels of experience, and why most companies fail at it * Identify service problems that face every company in the marketplace * Utilize the Experience Quotient and apply the I. C.A.R.E. principles * Learn how to convert customers to ambassadors who share their story with others Customers are the lifeblood of business. A great product offering isn't enough in today's marketplace, where everyone's looking for an "experience. Imagine the kind of value a Disney-level customer experience could bring to your organization. The Experience is a guide to getting there, from an insider's perspective.

Customer Experience is now the key differentiator as consumers and businesses alike decide among competing brands. The authors explore growing trends in Experience Psychology, Social Media and Neuroscience and their impact on Customer Experience that businesses need to understand to gain preference, loyalty and market share.

In "Loyalty Myths"," " the authors have assembled 53 of the most common beliefs about customer loyalty - all of them wrong or misconceived! Each of the beliefs in this book is debunked with real-world examples. While other books speak in platitudes; this book is the only one to validate each proposition with real data.

Granted unprecedented access to customer records from a variety of multi-national corporations. Through these records, Ipsos Loyalty was able to precisely track the impact of this customer-centric construct on actual purchasing behavior. The authors' findings and conclusions will stun business leaders around the world. The lessons learned from these provide a true guide for the proper use of customer loyalty.

Dennis Herhausen examines how managers can successfully probe latent needs and uncover future needs of customers, labeled as proactive customer orientation. Overall, a systematic change process is developed to guide managers that aim to increase their company's proactive customer orientation.

The fourth in Springer 's series on Stakeholder Management books, this volume looks back at the beginnings of Stakeholder Management and how it has developed into a fully-fledged system over the last 20 years. It also highlights the importance of a benchmarking database generated from several thousand case studies for comparing businesses. What 's more, international case studies look at the application of Stakeholder Management in a wide array of industries such as the automotive, public and hospitality sector as well as the consumer market. The reader benefits from a well-rounded account of articles that explain the entire process from data collection to the implementation of actions derived from result analysis.

Marketing Through Turbulent Times offers a range of tools, principles and approaches for decision makers who want to lead their organization toward a robust future by ensuring that their marketing strategies are not only relevant for today's difficult environment but will also lay the foundation for innovative growth opportunities.