Customer service is not a new topic in marketing. Although most marketing texts cover customer service in some form or another, the topic is generally not given the attention it deserves. In a society where customers are becoming more informed, more protected and more demanding than in the past, it makes good business sense to ensure that your customers receive a high level of customer service. After all, a happy customer is a satisfied customer, and a satisfied customer will remember the experience and purchase from you again and again.

Customer Service draws together the important issues regarding customer service. It addresses all the key elements which need to be considered when developing a service strategy for a business. The text is not only written with undergraduate students in mind, but also for the entire spectrum of businesses – both large and small – and for employees at all levels.

This book:

• Considers the topic of customer service within the context of its role in marketing strategy
• Stresses the importance and role of verbal and non-verbal communication
• Highlights the role that physical evidence plays in supporting a service strategy
• Addresses the causes of service failures and how to fix them
• Provides guidance on how to develop a service system
• Shows how technology can be used to enhance customer service
• Gives advice on how to develop and train staff to deliver exceptional customer service
• Addresses the important issues of quality, value, expectations and satisfaction and why they form the foundation of a service strategy
• Outlines the concept of customer experience management and how to apply it to a business

All organisations - from modest start-ups to multinational corporations - can benefit from an effective marketing strategy, as it serves as a roadmap for the entire business. By formulating a coherent and well-considered marketing strategy, organisations can promote their business, cater to the right types of clients and allocate their resources correctly, all while safeguarding the reputation of the organisation. Strategic Marketing is structured around the four key questions facing organisations and top management when deciding on their strategic direction: Where are we now; where do we want to be; how will we get there; and did we get there?

This new edition of Contemporary Retail and Marketing Case Studies is a collection of 34 studies of retail and marketing operations as told by individual companies.

Small, medium and larger companies relate the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them, and share their successes and frustrations in a frank and open manner. Each case is unique in its own way and addresses issues which are pertinent and relevant to the South African retail and marketing environment.

The value of this collection is that:

• It provides a variety of cases that together offer insight into the marketing challenges faced by local businesses
• It offers a South African perspective on how to overcome these issues
• It is written from the viewpoint of the entrepreneur or business executive
• It provides practical insights which support work-integrated learning.

This book is a must-read for scholars, students and people concerned with the retail and marketing industry.

Understanding consumers and the way they behave is crucial to the success of any business. In these times of economic uncertainty and reduced customer expenditure, ensuring that the consumer's wants and needs are met, forms part of the strategic planning of all organisations - big or small. Consumers, by means of their buying behaviour, exert influence on businesses and compel them to act in certain ways. Understanding consumer behaviour is therefore imperative, as it provides information to businesses on how to plan their marketing activities and sustain themselves as commercially viable and useful entities.