Customer Service For Dummies, Third Edition integrates the unbeatable information from Customer Service For Dummies and Online Customer Service For Dummies to form an all-in-one guide to customer loyalty for large and small businesses alike. The book covers the fundamentals of service selling and presents up-to-date advice on such fundamentals as help desks, call centers, and IT departments. Plus, it shows readers how to take stock of their customer service strengths and weaknesses, create useful customer surveys, and learn from the successes and failures of businesses just like theirs.

Karen Leland and Keith Bailey (Sausalito, CA) are cofounders of Sterling Consulting Group, an international consulting firm specializing in quality service consulting and training for such clients as Oracle, IBM, Avis, and Lucent....

As most corporate giants and small businesses alike have realized, service--both online and off--is a critical concern for surviving and thriving in today's fast-paced, quick-changing, and high-tech environment. One study shows that it costs six times more to gain a new customer than to retain a current one.

Customer Service In An Instant will help the reader learn how to create and project a winning service attitude in the often stress-filled environment of work, discover powerful actions they can take to increase customer loyalty and retention, and apply time-tested techniques for dealing with difficult customers and coworkers.

Filled with real world, practical advice gathered from Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and entrepreneurs around the world, Customer Service In An Instant is a must read for anyone whose job involves frequent contact with external or internal customers by telephone, e-mail, or in person. Readers will learn the essential skills they need to create the kind of service partnerships that lead to both satisfied customers and staff including:

* Using technology to create customer closeness.
* Winning loyalty points by taking service initiative.
* Understanding customers' core concerns.
* Learning the most powerful two sentences in customer service.
...