What to Say to a Porcupine: 20 Humorous Tales That Get to the Heart of Great Customer Service($12.95Value)

Description

What to Say to a Porcupine uses the format of Aesop’s fables to illustrate fundamental principles of customer service in a quick and lighthearted way. What do a demanding colony of porcupines, an upscale restaurant run by hyenas, and a famous medieval knight have in common? They are all part of one of the most engaging books on customer service in existence. In this book, you’ll explore how: great service is all about going the extra mile, as learned by a group of rabbits running an express mail delivery service in “By a Hare”; - there’s a better way to great your customers, as one grizzly honey-shop owner discovers in “Bear with Me”; - and how to handle difficult conversations with customers in a positive, constructive manner, as demonstrated in this book’s titular story “What to Say to a Porcupine.” Each story is followed by a short discussion, illuminating topics ranging from the best tips for building customer relationships to how to motivate a service team. Fun, quick, and constructive, What to Say to a Porcupine provides all customer service professionals with easy-to-remember lessons for delivering superior customer service. "It is... an easy-to-read teaching vehicle about building profitable relationships with the people who are most important to everyone in your business: your customers." --Inland Empire Business Journal "This book is great for any company that needs a little kick-start or even a reminder of how customer service should be like. It's thought-provoking in a very interesting way." -- 1-800-CEO-Read Blog (http: //800ceoread.com/blog/) "With a fairly high chuckles-to-learning ratio, Porcupine is easily one of the more charming business books out there at the moment." --Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog from 1to1 Magazine (http: //www.1to1media.com/weblog/) “This book is great for any company that needs a little kick-start or even a reminder of how customer service should be like. It's thought-provoking in a very interesting way.” -- 1-800-CEO-Read Blog (http: //800ceoread.com/blog/) "It is... an easy-to-read teaching vehicle about building profitable relationships with the people who are most important to everyone in your business: your customers." --Inland Empire Business Journal "With a fairly high chuckles-to-learning ratio, Porcupine is easily one of the more charming business books out there at the moment." --Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog from 1to1 Magazine (http: //www.1to1media.com/weblog/) "It succeeds in making basic customer service principles fun, instead of didactic, and the discussion questions at the end of each chapter provide a good jumping-off point at staff meetings." --"Dance Retailer News" "It succeeds in making basic customer service principles fun, instead of didactic, and the discussion questions at the end of each chapter provide a good jumping-off point at staff meetings." --"Dance Retailer News" "It is... an easy-to-read teaching vehicle about building profitable relationships with the people who are most important to everyone in your business: your customers." --Inland Empire Business Journal "This book is great for any company that needs a little kick-start or even a reminder of how customer service should be like. It's thought-provoking in a very interesting way." -- 1-800-CEO-Read Blog (http: //800ceoread.com/blog/) "With a fairly high chuckles-to-learning ratio, Porcupine is easily one of the more charming business books out there at the moment." --Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog from 1to1 Magazine (http: //www.1to1media.com/weblog/) RICHARD S. GALLAGHER is a former customer support executive, practicing psychotherapist, and author of several books on customer service and communications skills. • 1 • Send in the Clowns Some clowns were sitting around a conference table, with serious looks on their grease-painted faces, as they met with a consultant at their local small business development center. Bubbles, a six-foot-tall clown with a huge mop of purple hair, spoke up first. “Back when we were with the circus, we used to chase one another around the big top,” he said. “But nowadays, we haven’t been so good at chasing business.” “Hmm. How bad are your business problems?” said the consultant. “Let’s just say that if we don’t figure out something soon, wearing these tramp suits isn’t going to be an act anymore,” replied Bubbles. “So why did you folks start this business, anyway?” “The circus owners decided that we didn’t fit their strategic plan anymore,” sighed Bonzo, one of the other clowns. “As they put it, ‘Elephants don’t need fringe benefits.’ Anyway, we decided to start our own clown-for-hire business. You know, the usual stuff—corporate work, hospitals, perhaps a few private parties here and there.” “I see,” the consultant intoned. “Are you having trouble getting leads?” “I’ll say! When we go to marketing events, people always seem to hightail it away from us faster than you can say wowie kazowie.” “Well, let’s sit down and