Measuring and managing customer satisfaction : going for the gold /

Kessler, a customer service consultant and Baldrige Award examiner, sets out to provide a "dynamic, user-friendly, multipoint system for measuring and managing customer service." Adopting a "going for the gold" approach, she outlines five steps companies must take to win and keep customers: (1) designing a treasure map (planning); (2) digging for the gold (selecting quality measurement tools); (3) sifting out the gold (evaluating the data); (4) goldsmithing (synthesizing the data); and (5) awarding gold medals (recognizing employees' customer-driven efforts). Specific examples of high-achieving, quality-oriented companies, such as Delta Airlines, Corning Telecommunications, MBNA credit card company, GTE and Compaq Computer, are used to illustrate key points. The "Tool Tips" section at the end of the book provides information on how and when to use the various customer service tools--surveys, questionnaires, advisory groups, complaint tracking, mystery shoppers, and the like. Recommended for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and marketing and customer service professionals. P. G. Kishel Cypress College