Customer Service in the 21st Century

In competitive business settings worldwide, it is generally not possible for any organization to thrive ¿ let alone survive ¿ if it is incapable of adequately meeting the divergent and changing needs and expectations of its customers. This book is designed to provide the basic tools that are essential to the provision of pronounced customer service in both small and large business undertakings. It is the product of many years of both academic research and on-the-job experiences in a diversity of business settings. In a deliberate effort to provide a piece of work that is relevant to business, management as well as marketing scholars, researchers and practitioners, the book blends theory, application of the theory, and a prescription of imperatives in the provision of pronounced customer service. A simple conceptual model of buyer behavior is used in the book to demonstrate how business owners and managers can succeed in providing adequately for the needs and expectations of customers. Case studies and a glossary of selected business, management and marketing terms are also provided in the book.