Keeping the Edge: 9giving Customers the Service They Demand

Service quality is reexamined by Schaaf in this sequel to his 1989 coauthored The Service Edge. The financial realities of the marketplace, the proliferation of technology and the maturing of our economy all dramatically affect business. But how do these factors specifically affect the delivery and management of service? Schaaf's answer is interesting and surprising: companies delivering good service focus not on tactical issues concerning specific customer interactions but on strategic issues integrating the fundamentals of the business. For example, service quality is more about systems and how they are managed than about people and how they act. Broad outlines of successful service strategies are concisely presented here and supported with anecdotal evidence. This book is highly recommended to corporate executives and business students who want to gain insight into the basic issues of quality service in a rapidly changing environment. (Oct.)