Win the Customer: 70 Simple Rules for Sensational Service

These rules can be used by organizations looking to create a service culture, or by individuals who want to improve their customer-service skills. The simple but inspiring tips and strategies make this book a valuable resource for executives, managers and small business owners, as well as people who work directly with customers every day.

Martins is the vice president of operations and customer support at DigiCert, an internet security company based in Utah. DigiCert has won numerous awards for customer service excellence and was voted one of the best places to work in Utah for three years in a row. Martins also writes the blog Win The Customer!, about how to develop and maintain outstanding customer service.

So keep listening to hear the two questions you should be asking yourself every day. Find out when micromanaging is a good idea, and why we need to update the golden rule.

The book consists of 70 short chapters, one for each of the author's customer service rules. On the plus side, this makes it easy to skim and entertaining to read. But it also makes it a little superficial in parts, and somewhat lacking in detail.

Martins' first rule advises us to break the rules. In other words, we need to do more than what we've been told to do. We need to go the extra mile to provide customer service that will keep people coming back. This is a recurring theme in the book. Martins reminds us throughout how important it is to go beyond the expectations of our customers, and find new ways to give them a "wow" experience.

Another theme in the book is creating a customer-service culture in the workplace. This is Martins' second rule, but he comes back to this idea several times. He says it's not enough to simply serve the customer you're dealing with. Service should be part of the behavior, thoughts and actions of everyone in the organization. It should inspire people, encourage their development, and transform their work, as well as the customer's experience. And that kind of culture includes thinking about the kinds of people you hire and how they'll support your company's vision.

Martins says a service culture is about serving people, not shareholders. It's not profits we should focus on, but the positive experiences of our customers. He gives the example of Harmons grocery store, a small company that puts excellent customer service first and retains loyal customers as a result. Martins says it also rewards its employees. It's a shame he doesn't go into details here – we're left wondering what those rewards are and what exactly they're rewarding.

In rule number 38, "take care of the employees so they'll take care of customers," culture comes to the fore again. Martins says it's important to make sure your people are happy. Even if they're not working directly with customers, he believes everyone in the organization should be part of the service culture. Their happiness and wellbeing affect the quality of work they do, which ultimately affects the customer.

Again, Martins doesn't offer any suggestions or tips on how to make your team happy or how to create a positive workplace, except to let people decorate their desks. But he does provide recommendations on books about improving customer service, including "Delivering Happiness" by Tony Hsieh, CEO of online retailer Zappos, and "Raving Fans," by Kenneth Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.

We don't have time to discuss all 70 rules here, but rule number nine deserves a mention: "Ask yourself these two critical questions every day." These are the questions Benjamin Franklin asked himself as he pursued his lifelong self-development. Martins believes they can help us develop better customer service.

The first question is, "What good shall I do today?" Benjamin Franklin's answer included some simple, but worthwhile, responses such as, "Be agreeable to everyone," which is still good advice in all circumstances. The second question is, "What good have I done today?" In the context of customer service, we can reflect on our actions at the end of the day and determine whether or not we've met our customer service goals.

Martins also tells us the three words we should never use – busy, but and blame. This is rule 28. "Busy" tells the customer we don't have time for them. "But" is associated with "can't" or "won't" because it erases the words that come before it. And "blame" makes excuses for when things go wrong, and can prevent us from seeing the real problem.

Rule 10 sounds confusing but it's really very simple. "Find a way to say yes even when the answer is no." Customers don't like to hear the word "no." Service is often about fixing problems, so the way we respond to those problems is important.

Instead of looking at things in black and white, we need to be creative and look at the possibilities that exist in the shades of gray in between. For example, suppose you have a customer who complains about shipping charges they weren't aware of. Your company policy is to offer free shipping with purchases over $50, but the customer didn't spend that much. Instead of simply restating your policy, you can make him or her happy by offering a store credit – as long as your company policy allows that, of course. This is one way to say yes and win the customer back.

This action-oriented approach to service is another key element for Martins. Social networks have increased the speed and ease of customers' ability to provide feedback on products and services. Instead of ignoring criticism or negative reviews, Martins says, we should see them as opportunities to learn and understand what the customer wants. In rule 11, "love your critics," he encourages us to take this one step further. If you receive a complaint, take action. Respond immediately, apologize and then do something to fix the problem, like offering a refund or voucher.

Other rules are less clear. Number 13 is "exploit your customer's pain points but never exploit your customer." Unfortunately, Martins doesn't explain what "pain points" are, so it's hard to get a handle on this rule.

Another rule that could've used some further explanation is number 14, "don't be Zappos to your Jack Welch customers." What he's suggesting is attention-getting customer service tactics aren't for everyone. But unless you're familiar with both Zappos and Jack Welch, the point is a bit lost.

Martins tells us that Jack Welch was the CEO of General Electric for 20 years and he was a practical, hardworking, businesslike executive. But he doesn't explain that Zappos is a successful online retailer renowned for its creative approach to customer service. This lack of background risks shutting out some readers.

Rule 16 is more specific. Here, Martins tells us to micromanage every day. What does he mean? It's not about telling people what to do. Instead, he says we need to micromanage the way we work. We can do this by asking ourselves questions, such as, "Is there a way to make it easier for employees to contact customers?" Today, thanks to technology, customers communicate more. We need to micromanage our approach to deliver great customer service to as many of them as possible, whatever it takes.

While customers are using technology to express their opinions about companies, organizations can also use it to create better customer service. One way is in the delivery of goods. Traditionally, companies have told customers they'll deliver goods "sometime between 11 and five," forcing some people to take time off work or rearrange their activities, which can be frustrating.

But today's technology means we can connect our team in the field to the office and stay on top of scheduling changes and openings. Martins also suggests offering online appointment booking, so customers feel in control.

In rule 19, Martins tells us to forget the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." He doesn't want us to be unkind but, again, he's suggesting we need to go beyond the basics. We need to do more than treat others the way we want to be treated; we should treat them the way they want to be treated.

Have you ever wondered what customers really want? Martins tells us what he thinks they want in rule 35, where he presents his five service secrets – customers value good service more than fast service. They love personalization. You need to show them you care, ask them what they really want from their shopping experience, and always be ready, willing and able to help.

Martins provides a good example of superior service in rule 52, "Shift from reactive to proactive service." He cites research that suggests 80 percent of the executives surveyed believe they deliver excellent service, while only eight percent of their customers agree. One company that is delivering is the accountancy solutions firm Sage North America. It's moved from reactive to proactive service by calling customers before the tax season, to ask how the company can help. It's making the first move.

So how do we provide this outstanding level of customer service? In rule 58, "providing a real service to your customers," Martins offers some really practical tips. The first step is to get rid of that annoying hold message that tells customers you're "experiencing a high volume of calls right now." It just puts people off. His solution? Delete the message and hire more people in your call center.

He also suggests you always respond to emails quickly and accept returned merchandise without a receipt. Your customers will appreciate it and keep coming back for more. Martins relates an unlikely story about the department store Nordstrom. It once took a pair of tires from a customer and refunded his money – but it doesn't even sell tires. Whether that ever happened or not, he makes his point.

Rule 59 lays out Martins' ground rules for providing exceptional service in a few simple steps – agree with the customer, fix what's wrong, acknowledge their hassle, and offer something to make up for it. Afterwards, let your manager know about the issue so changes can be made.

He gives us the example of a company that follows this advice in rule 67, "Allow for random acts of wow." The Ritz-Carlton Hotel gives each of its staff members $2,000 to spend on customer service, for use when something goes wrong and they need to make it right. Not all companies can spare that kind of money whenever a problem arises. But you might be able to offer customers a handwritten apology and a gift card if a mistake has been made.

Another company that goes beyond the rules to create outstanding customer service is the online retailer Amazon. Martins devotes an entire chapter to it as an example of what he calls a "customer service revolution." From one-click shopping to online return forms and real customer reviews, Amazon has changed the way we provide customer service. It created the "frequently bought together" feature, showing items that other customers bought, which helps the customer and gives the company another sale. All of these ideas have resulted in extraordinary customer loyalty. And that's because Amazon gives people what they want.

This is an encouraging and motivating book that's full of ideas and suggestions. Many of them are very general and we wish Martins had been more specific. In some of the rules, he tells us what we should be doing, but not necessarily how to do it. For example, he says we should think of ways to do things better and simpler, but he doesn't tell us how.

His main points come up again and again, which makes the book quite repetitive at times, and some of the rules are simply reiterations of the same idea. When case studies and examples are used, it's like a breath of fresh air, and it would have been nice to see more of these.

Martins spends a lot of time bubbling over with enthusiasm for great customer service and at times it can be a bit heavy-handed. But you can tell he's passionate about the subject and his zeal and understanding of service makes this an inspiring and thoughtful guide to transforming people into customers for life.

"Win the Customer: 70 Simple Rules for Sensational Service," by Flavio Martins, is published by AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.