Capturing Customers' Hearts: Leave the Competition to Chase Their Pockets (Financial Times Series) [Hardcover]

We all realize how important customers are. We all know what will help build a good relationship with our customers. Yet so often it is done badly. Unlike great products and low prices, great customer service is hard to copy. In a fiercely competitive world, differentiation is the name of the game.

Capturing Customers’ Hearts

analyzes companies where the product or the company itself generates a special reaction in a customer, something much more than brand loyalty – true affection. Building 12 components of charisma on the foundation of service delivery, it uses examples of best and worst practice to pinpoint the forces that will win new customers, keep them and capture their hearts.

Capture your customers' hearts – their loyalty will follow.

There has been a crucial focus on customer service for at least 15 years. So does this mean that we can concentrate on the next big thing? Not a chance. Survey after survey has shown that really good customer service is still the exception. And with customer expectations higher than ever, and the competition not standing still – especially with the emergence of the wired world – an outstanding customer relationship is the only safe way of building differentiation.

To make a customer relationship the driving force behind repeat business and differentiation calls for a quantum shift in thinking and doing; from customer friendliness to customer charisma. A business with charisma gives the customer something very special. When you deal with a business with charisma, you want to tell others about it. You want to share your feelings. This book is about giving your business charisma.

Capturing Customers’ Hearts analyzes what lies behind customers’ emotional attachment to a product or service, and teaches you how to create customer charisma so that not only is your company winning new customers, but is keeping its existing ones.

You’ll never look at your customers in the same way again.

"Essential reading – every page presents insights and facts that are now crucial to differentiation and success." Adrian E. Lucas, CEO, Imerge Limited

"Yet again Brian goes to the heart of the issue giving an inspired insight into the realities of managing customer relationships. A must for companies who want to stand out like a beacon by going the extra light year for their customers…" Tony Solomon, Marketing Communications Director, Zurich IFA Group

"Brian Clegg’s new book is a ‘tour de force’. It ranges wide over the vast terrain of customer service as well as digging deep into some of the fundamental issues that still need to be addressed. Not only did I learn a lot from this excellent book but I found it incredibly enjoyable to read." David Freemantle, author, The Stimulus Factor

"Provides brilliant insights into attracting and retaining customers." Tim Robison, Director, Lucent Technologies

An outstanding customer relationship is the only safe way of building differentiation. Companies with charisma are able to capture their customers' hearts - and that means holding onto customers when competition is at its most cruel. Leave the competition to compete for their pockets.

Capturing Customers' Hearts looks at companies where the product or the company itself generate a special reaction in the customer, something much more than brand loyalty - true affection. By looking at examples of the best it will teach companies how to truly capture their customers hearts now and keep their custom in the future.

"Yet again Brian goes to the heart of the issue giving an inspired insight into the realities of managing customer relationships. A must for companies who want to stand out as a beacon by going the extra light year for their customers..." Tony Solomon, Marketing Communications Director, Zurich IFA Group

"Brian Clegg's new book is a tour-de-force. It ranges wide over the vast terrain of customer service as well as digging deep into some of the fundamental issues that still need to be addressed. Not only did I learn a lot from this excellent book but I found it incredibly enjoyable to read." David Freemantle, Business author and consultant

"Provides brilliant insights into attracting and retaining customers." Tim Robison, Director, Lucent Technologies

His portfolio includes corporates from the transport, finance and pharmaceutical sectors, with wide experience of speaking at venues from company training sessions to the Wembley Conference Centre and Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

A regular contributor to Professional Manager, Personal Computer World and Computer Weekly, he has written a range of business books and novels.

* Good customer service is still the exception, even after all this time. Okay, the staff may have 'how can I help you' on their name badges, and may have learned how to smile, but the service still stops a long way short of excellence.

* The customers' ideas of good service have been transformed in the last 15 years. The rise of consumerism and consumer rights attests to this - our customers expect more now. Much more.

* The opposition has not stayed still. If our relationship with our customers is to be a prime driver of differentiation, it is necessary to take a whole step further into the customer arena.

Survey after survey has shown that customers are deeply unhappy with service levels. When I was gathering stories to illustrate this book, it was very easy to get examples of bad customer service - but many, many people could not think of a single instance of great customer service. To make the customer relationship the driving force behind repeat business and differentiation calls for a quantum shift. From consumer friendliness to charisma. We don't want to be nice to our customers, we want them to love us. To desire our company's products. To speak to other people about our company with awe in their voices. We need to capture their hearts.