Uncommon Service
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"The book is full of case studies showing how companies have harnessed their strengths but cut corners elsewhere, in pursuit of the ultimate goal: excellent service." -- "South Africa Financial Mail"
"I found "Uncommon Service" to be a refreshing, frank and honest look at how any organization can increase profitability, satisfaction and competitive advantage by delivering consistently outstanding service." -- American Express Open Forum
"I found "Uncommon Service" to be a refreshing, frank and honest look at how any organization can increase profitability, satisfaction and competitive advantage by delivering consistently outstanding service." -- American Express Open Forum
Product Description
This title offers a completely new and systematic approach for greater productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage through service. Most companies treat service as a low-priority business operation, keeping it out of the spotlight until a customer complains. Then service gets to make a brief appearance - for as long as it takes to calm the customer down and fix whatever foul-up jeopardized the relationship. In "Uncommon Service", Frances Frei and Anne Morriss show how, in a volatile economy where the old rules of strategic advantage no longer hold true, service must become a competitive weapon, not a damage-control function. That means weaving service tightly into every core decision your company makes. The authors reveal a transformed view of service, presenting an operating model built on tough choices organizations must make: How do customers define "excellence" in your offering? Is it convenience? Friendliness? Flexible choices? Price? How will you get paid for that excellence? Will you charge customers more? Get them to handle more service tasks themselves? How will you empower your employees to deliver excellence? What will your recruiting, selection, training, and job design practices look like? What about your organizational culture? How will you get your customers to behave? For example, what do you need to do to get them to treat your employees with respect? Do you need to make it easier for them to use new technology? Practical and engaging, "Uncommon Service" makes a powerful case for a new and systematic approach to service as a means of boosting productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage.
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12 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
If you care about your customers, you need to read this book...
22 Jan 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I was an MBA student at Harvard Business School, one of the most difficult classes to get into was Frances Frei's Managing Service Operations elective. I was one of her lucky students, but demand was so high that even those who ranked it as their first choice often failed to win one of the prized seats in the class.
If you read this book, you'll understand why...
Frei is a world-renowned guru in service management and a Harvard teaching legend. In "Uncommon Service," she's partnered with Anne Morriss, a leader in strategy, leadership and institutional change. Together, they distill the principles of service excellence into an intuitive road map that any executive, with the appropriate conviction, can follow to improve customer experiences, and in turn, firm performance. Not a bad value proposition when you think about it - developing a sustainable competitive advantage by making your customers' lives better.
What I loved about the course, and indeed this book, is that it is full of real world examples of service successes and failures, used to masterfully illustrate a system of interconnected design principles that lead to service excellence. The stories are compelling and their implications are clear, and by the time you're finished reading, you'll be able to diagnose what's right, and what's wrong with the service design of your company, as well as those of your competitors.
On their own, the principles of service excellence make "Uncommon Service" a must-have for any entrepreneur interested in deploying a world-class service operation from the ground up. Having been a service entrepreneur myself, this aspect of the book appealed to me deeply. However, Frei and Morriss, who themselves have considerable experience working with many of the world's largest and most complicated service organizations, have crafted the book to speak as well to executives interested in improving pre-existing operations. The book tackles implementation issues in the context of a complex organization in motion, as well as how to develop a service culture, and how to scale service excellence as the enterprise experiences growth.
If you run, or aspire to run a service organization, and you're concerned at all with the experiences of your customers, you need this book. It is exceptionally engaging, devoid of jargon, brutally honest, and a joy to read. It is simply a masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it more highly.
If you read this book, you'll understand why...
Frei is a world-renowned guru in service management and a Harvard teaching legend. In "Uncommon Service," she's partnered with Anne Morriss, a leader in strategy, leadership and institutional change. Together, they distill the principles of service excellence into an intuitive road map that any executive, with the appropriate conviction, can follow to improve customer experiences, and in turn, firm performance. Not a bad value proposition when you think about it - developing a sustainable competitive advantage by making your customers' lives better.
What I loved about the course, and indeed this book, is that it is full of real world examples of service successes and failures, used to masterfully illustrate a system of interconnected design principles that lead to service excellence. The stories are compelling and their implications are clear, and by the time you're finished reading, you'll be able to diagnose what's right, and what's wrong with the service design of your company, as well as those of your competitors.
On their own, the principles of service excellence make "Uncommon Service" a must-have for any entrepreneur interested in deploying a world-class service operation from the ground up. Having been a service entrepreneur myself, this aspect of the book appealed to me deeply. However, Frei and Morriss, who themselves have considerable experience working with many of the world's largest and most complicated service organizations, have crafted the book to speak as well to executives interested in improving pre-existing operations. The book tackles implementation issues in the context of a complex organization in motion, as well as how to develop a service culture, and how to scale service excellence as the enterprise experiences growth.
If you run, or aspire to run a service organization, and you're concerned at all with the experiences of your customers, you need this book. It is exceptionally engaging, devoid of jargon, brutally honest, and a joy to read. It is simply a masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it more highly.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Pick what you do best and excel at it
9 Feb 2012
Format:Hardcover
I am an entrepreneur. I make things, create things, and want to bring new ideas and products to people. But I am terrible at managing people. So why would this book help me? Because no matter what you are making, managing, growing or building - you need viewers, customers, loyal followers and this book tells me how to give these integral consumers what they need from me most. You can't do everything brilliantly they tell me. Focus on the service you do best and on what your consumers need from you. The book is easy to digest, clear, decisive and encouraging. Knowing these two authors, and having been lucky enough to get their feedback on my projects, I can say their enthusiasm for building businesses that are cutting edge and lasting makes this book a must read for anyone who wants to see their company, project, film, start-up succeed.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A Cardinal Work with Practical Insight
21 Jan 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Over the past few years I've read numerous titles in an effort to improve my company's service delivery (titles including Raving Fans, Exceptional Service, Different, CS is Worthless, and many others). I believe each offered unique perspective and in turn anxiously hoped for more of the same with Uncommon Service. Well I just finished my kindle edition of this newcomer and can report being all but floored by this extraordinary work on the service process.
Frei and Morriss tackle the subject with a less conventional look at how the design and execution process can derail even the best intentioned service offerings. With each chapter and telling example F&M regrettably exposed the folly of my own company's continued inability to attain our desired goal of unparallel client service. They explain why service (versus product) offerings so easily devolve into an all but the kitchen sink approach to customers' needs and show how companies can move to a rationalization-based approach while actually improving client satisfaction. After apologizing to my managers I plan to put these transformative ideas to work.
Frei and Morriss tackle the subject with a less conventional look at how the design and execution process can derail even the best intentioned service offerings. With each chapter and telling example F&M regrettably exposed the folly of my own company's continued inability to attain our desired goal of unparallel client service. They explain why service (versus product) offerings so easily devolve into an all but the kitchen sink approach to customers' needs and show how companies can move to a rationalization-based approach while actually improving client satisfaction. After apologizing to my managers I plan to put these transformative ideas to work.
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