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On Great Service--A Framework for Action
By Leonard L. Berry (New York: The Free Press, 1995, 292 pp., $28)
LEONARD L. BERRY, NOTED EXPERT ON SERVICE quality, has written his best book yet--and perhaps the best book ever on the subject of service quality. With over two-thirds of American jobs in services and with service quality proven to be vital to business success, this book should become a business best seller.
On Great Service uses role-model company examples to "teach the lessons of service quality implementation." Its focus is not only on how to give great service to customers but also on how to motivate and involve service employees and managers in the process.
Berry builds the book around what he calls a framework for great service. The framework is written as a series of action steps: nurture service leadership; build a service quality information system; create a service strategy based on reliability, surprise, recover, and fairness; implement the service strategy through structure; implement service strategy through technology; and implement it through people by competing for talent, developing skills and knowledge, empowering servers, working at teamwork, measuring performance, and rewarding excellence.
These steps are beautifully worded to encourage action. At the same time, they are carefully thought-out and based on sound academic theory...