Winning the Service Game - Hardcover

Schneider, Benjamin; Bowen, David Earl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0875845703 ISBN 13: 9780875845708

Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press, 1995

Synopsis

Tells how to focus on customer needs and expectations, offers advice on managing personal contact with customers, and shows how to create a service culture

About this title

About the Author

Since 1984, Harvard Business School Press has been dedicated to publishing the most contemporary management thinking, written by authors and practitioners who are leading the way. Whether readers are seeking big-picture strategic thinking or tactical problem solving, advice in managing global corporations or for developing personal careers, HBS Press helps fuel the fire of innovative thought. HBS Press has earned a reputation as the springboard of thought for both established and emerging business leaders.

Reviews

Looking for competitive advantages, service businesses seek to provide "seamless service" to consumers, a goal often undermined by employee indifference and independence, reliance on outmoded industrial management policies and mindless bureaucracies, according to the authors. How can firms create effective service cultures and customer partnerships? Drawing on numerous case studies (the Disney parks, the Florida Marlins) and 53 guidelines, Schneider, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Maryland, and Bowen, associate professor of management at Arizona State, argue that companies must refocus their procedures to meet today's customer expectations, develop innovative organizational structures and train and motivate employees to forge "an unbeatable combination across the organization's customer, boundary, and coordination tiers." A no-nonsense guide interspersed with tips for service firms. Illustrations.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Service has often taken a backseat to manufacturing in the corporate environment and in its publications, but in recent years that emphasis has shifted--mainly because service will drive American business in the millennium. Up until now, books focusing on service have been tactical, suggesting a variety of different maneuvers and vehicles to distinguish a company, from employee training to creative promotions. Today, the combined wisdom of professors Schneider and Bowen leads to a wholly integrated service company, one that, by following the rules in their three tiers (customer, boundary, and coordinating), will realize world-class results. Although far too many rules and lists are created, somewhat obfuscating the main point, adherence to five generic commandments--e.g., treat customers as part of the company--will most probably yield a system similar to that outlined in more than 200 pages. But, of all the regulations, the best for readers to remember is that service companies must view employees as customers, too. Barbara Jacobs

Schneider and Bowen, university professors of psychology and management, respectively, combine theories of human resources, marketing, and management in this practical, timely, how-to guide to competing successfully in service operations. They take a holistic approach to their discussion, presenting more than 50 "rules" of the service game that companies must address simultaneously in order to achieve success. These rules cover such areas as focusing on the needs of the customer; using state-of-the-art practices in hiring, training, and rewarding employees; and adopting a "service logic" throughout the organization. The rules that Schneider and Bowen have come up with are not new or innovative; the value of the book lies in their integration. The authors use many examples from real companies to illustrate these principles. Recommended for both lay readers and specialists.
Gary W. White, Pennsylvania State Univ., Harrisburg
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0875845703
• ISBN 13: 9780875845708
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320