World Class Service Ltd spend a good deal of time reading about the issues of customer service and related advice. Here’s the best of the bunch in terms of inspiration, insights, practical advice and technical guidance.
We thought about breaking this section up in to discreet interest areas but on balance we think the wider your reading the smarter you will be. We have added a little review to save you trekking round reviews on-line.
If you would like to buy any of these publications clink the Amazon link to make a purchase.
ISBN 9780761129233.
A lot of people wrote off kaizen as a curiosity of the Japanese management miracle in last decades of the last century, Dr Maurer is smarter than most and his exploration of the impact of small change theory is breathtaking. If you want to bring about real change in your organisation or your life think tiny and act today. Seems simple? It is and it works! This great little book sets out how and why.
ISBN 0063380021.
Originally published way back in 1982 this is the classic management text on what at the time looked like America’s best run companies. Some of the stories look very dated decades later but there is a quality, an impatience and passion that still ring true. Made a big impact on Howard way back in childhood!
ISBN 0471079774.
A very good explanation of this business art, thoughtfully written and very approachable despite the title. If your responsibilities include improving customer service processes then this book is for you. If you don’t have those responsibilities then you are working in a process that someone else has designed.... perhaps it’s time to understand your world more.
ISBN 0071458271.
With astonishing performance in the airline business is there anything South West can teach us about how to build high performance low cost services? Jody Gittell’s book certainly gives it a try. Expect a clear analysis of the unique human resource practices at this remarkable company. South West gets collective impacts and team work at a whole new level. Great book, thorough and well structured. An HR Manager must have.
ISBN 0887309917.
Just how do you keep half a million people consistently delivering one of the most highly respected brands in hospitality? The fundamental values and focus on the basic building blocks make this a refreshing look at how this hotel giant has come about. The stories and passion here are an inspiration to anyone who has customer service at the top of their agenda.
ISBN 007137969X.
The strategies that built Disney and how they can help your business. Much has been said and written about Disney. This is a strong book with plenty of practical tips and guidance.
ISBN 0875848672.
Written in 2005 the authors set out a clear agenda for the radically reconfiguring world of service interfaces. As more and more companies move services on-line the authors express a clear view that we cannot forget the human aspects of doing business. Just how do we decide how much “stage” and how “virtual” our service delivery should be? Intelligent, thought provoking and well researched. Well worth reading if you are looking at your virtual and live service issues.
ISBN 9781580083157.
More from the house of Charlie Trotter. Inspiring, meticulous, passionate. How a small restaurant can establish a national reputation and aims to deliver a masterpiece of service for all its guests night after night.
ISBN 0898159083.
Think you are obsessive about service? Trust me you are only in the foothills. Meet Charlie Trotter, chef patron of the Chicago restaurant bearing his name. This book sets the tone for American service culture for the 21st century. Brilliant, slightly mad – just right.
ISBN 0071448934.
The success of Likers first book led to this 2006 classic. If service processes are your domain look no further than Fieldbook. The successful methods applied at Toyota are laid out in a direct case book. Not for the fainthearted but rewarding for those who want to know how to get a process to its highest standards of performance.
ISBN 0071392319.
If you like your quality theory a bit more straightforward Liker’s brilliant book about Toyota will leave you waiting for the office to open so you can get started on a quality revolution of your own. An inspired company and an inspired book. Outstanding explanations of just how the mighty Japanese company doubles and triples the speed of its processes and eliminates waste. Understated but essential.
ISBN 0141014598.
Gladwell never fails to impress. This is an easy read about where snap judgements come from. Just what is gut reaction? Why do you get that uneasy feeling one minute in to a job interview that this candidate may be a big mistake to appoint? A solid basis for his theory and blinding insights about expertise and prejudice. Highly recommended.
ISBN101591391849.
By 2002 Goleman had developed his thinking into a clear leadership model which he sets out in this rather lengthy account. It is worth ploughing on with though. Goleman has very clear grasp of humanistic management and he helps explain how various leadership styles work in practice. We can all find ourselves in this easy to understand book.
ISBN 0747528306.
Ground breaking book that redefined intelligence and success. Goleman’s remarkable book introduced the idea of emotional intelligence into the world of business. It is a remarkable book for service companies because it set out for the first time, in a widely read book, an agenda for how we can improve our interpersonal skills.
ISBN 0500511454.
Wally Ollins is a brand guru, his work with stellar companies like Renault, Volkwagen and McKinsey is legendary. This book was Wally’s answer to Naomi Klein’s controversial “No Logo” book about the abhorrence of brands. Wally takes a different tack and sets out the arguments about why we love brands work and how they work. Thought provoking, well written and witty, and inevitably extremely useful.
ISBN 157687267X.
Following the success of the 2005 book Roberts `immediately delivered the second punch exploring Lovemarks argument in practice. This books roves through those high appeal brands looking at exactly what it is that they do that enthrals us and how we can use those insights to raise our own game.
ISBN 157687270X.
The brilliant insights you might expect from the CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi. Packed with insights from the world of commercial marketing and branding this first book trails the convergence of brands with the experience economy. Practical, colourful, funny and helpful.
ISBN 0029357012.
This book dates back to 1990 but the essential point about perception gaps is as valid today as it was when the book came out. This vital books sets out the basics of ServQual characteristics and consequently the scene for brand standards the world over.
ISBN 1857882989.
A smart book about how we as customers are changing, this book written at the beginning of the century still hold true asking some valuable questions and providing useful insights in to how our customers think and behave.
ISBN 188516730X.
If you like your customer service in capital letters and telling people what to do Mr Gitomers book is for you. If you like positive attitude check lists, cheery epithets, on the job instruction cards, shouty advice and big print your luck is in. Don’t expect subtlety or analysis and you won’t be disappointed.
ISBN 0945320477.
Published at the height of the Total Quality Management wave in 1994 this handy book gives a process focus to customer service. Logical guide to getting started on a customer service journey and would suit any small business or business unit manager.
ISBN027361472X.
With a title like that you could guarantee our interest. Happily it’s a UK based book so the examples are more familiar to UK readers. It dates from 1995 and carries a heavy TQM (Total Quality Management) stamp. Patricia sets out how to apply good persistent improvement practice to customer service processes. The emphasis here is on processes not behaviours. We think Delivering Quality Service is a better book, see below, but Patricia has a better approach to solving problems once they have been isolated.
ISBN 9781580624589.
We often get asked if there is a definitive book on customer service for front line staff and team leaders. I would have to say this is one of the best we have come across although it is American and reads that way. More of a tool kit than a novel. Filled with practical advice, real life examples and step by step instructions. A reliable and practical manual. (Until we publish ours of course..!)
ISBN 9780071548336.
This is a very good book about Ritz Carlton hotels. It would be easy to paint a very glossy picture of this “comfortable luxury” hotel brand but between the author and the ladies and gentlemen of Ritz Carlton something altogether more useful emerges. An inspiring book about service excellence.
ISBN 0875848192.
Perhaps more than any other book the Experience Economy opens the door to our understanding of staged experiences whether we run venues, theme parks, shops or restaurants Pine and Gilmore established a new way of thinking about service businesses. Written in 1999, it’s still a must have title.
ISBN 0071351450.
We love this book. Daniels takes the lid off behavioural science for leadership. If you need to address behaviour in the workplace this is the best book we have ever read. Clear, well informed, practical. The book sets out the expectation, observation and reinforcement model in a direct understandable way. What are you doing still reading this review?
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We're delighted to announce the release of our first iPhone app, available free to download from iTunes now. The app gives you a weekly top ten things to do in Manchester. World Class Service have developed the app with La Factory Del Software.
Nobody pays to be included in the Manchester10 app. The only way you can be included is to do something outstanding.
Our front line sales programmes which have been developed from the retail and hospitality sector are designed specifically for the cultural sector. World Class Service improves sales performance by working with your team to establish a clear picture of the service and sales blend in your venue, museum or gallery and to establish the mindset of successful sales development.
Following on from the success of our Service Leadership & Coaching & Sales & Business Programmes we now have new dates confirmed for September 2010.
Managing Director, Howard Raynor, will run the three programmes.
Congratulations to Manchester Airport, named Best European Airport at the sixth Annual ACI Europe Best Airport Awards in Milan on June 18th. Manchester won in the 10-25 million passenger category.
The judges were particularly impressed with the airport's approach to security.
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