In today's highly competitive environment, good products and good marketing aren't enough. To succeed, you also need great customer service. Quality service touches our lives in two important ways: the service we give and the service we receive.Customer Service For Dummies, 2nd Edition, brims with hot tips, techniques, and lots of suggestions for giving your customers the kind of service that you yourself would like to receive. This down-to-earth, step-by-step guide fills you in on ways to Take stock of your customer service strengths and weaknesses Commit to continuous improvement Work your way through modern-day e-mail and Internet etiquette Foster positive face-to-face and telephone service Deal with the unhappy folks among your customers Packed with practical advice for getting through the everyday challenges at work, Customer Service For Dummies, 2nd Edition, shows you how to develop your staff so that they become service heroes to their customers. This insightful resource also gives you the goods on Keeping your sanity when angry customers confront you with clenched fists or wrinkled foreheads Saying "No" nicely: Focusing on what you can do for the customer Tuning into body language and vocal tone Knowing the importance of both internal and external customers Achieving gold-level service at bronze-level cost Improving market share - whether the company's big, small, or in between Becoming a better customer by expressing yourself in style Although customer service basics seem so much like common sense - smile, say please, and say thank you - these gestures alone won't begin to satisfy every situation. Once you expand your definition of service, reconsider who your customers are, and develop a customer-friendly attitude, you'll be in the right place to meet your customers' expectations - and right on time to make a pleasingly positive impression!

Karen Leland and Keith Bailey are co-founders of Sterling Consulting Group, Inc., an international management consulting firm specializing in quality service and managing rapid growth. They have a combined 25 years of experience in this field and have worked with over 100,000 executives, managers, and front-line staff from a wide variety of industries including retail, transportation, hospitality, banking, and consumer goods. Their consulting work in corporations and public speaking engagements has taken them throughout North America, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Their clients have included such companies as AT and T, American Express, Ameritech, Apple Computer, Avis Rent A Car, Bank of America, Bristol Myers-Squibb, The British Government, Dupont, S.C. Johnson Wax, Lufthansa German Airlines, Pacific Bell, Telecheck, and Xerox, to name a few. In addition to their consulting work, Karen and Keith are sought after by the media as experts on quality service. They have been interviewed by dozens of newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations including The Associated Press International, The British Broadcasting Company, CBS, CNN, Executive Excellence, Fortune, Management Today, Newsweek, The New York Times, Sales and Marketing, Time Magazine, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. They are the founders of the International Association of Quality Service, which has more than 10,000 charter members. The purpose of the Association is to promote the principles and ideas of quality service throughout businesses worldwide. To receive a copy of the Association's newsletter "Excellence," please contact Sterling Consulting Group at www.scgtraining.com.