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Customer-orientation, customer-centricity, and customer relationship management (CRM) are not new concepts or practices. But information technology has unleashed tremendous opportunities in dealing with a customer and in creating value to the customer. And yet the majority of CRM investments and initiatives fail because firms do not have the appropriate orientation to serving the customer. The principal aim of this book is to get the reader to think about th firm and the way it conducts its business in a certain way-with a customer focus.
It is now becoming clearly evident that all firms compete on service. Providing superior service becomes a prerequisite for any differentiation strategy to succeed. To provide superior service for a competitive advantage requires a concrete understanding of what service-orientation means. This orientation, in the form of frame of mind, is essential for the firm to take advantage of opportunities and to address the challenges so as to gain a competitive advantage. For excellent service firms, the challenges and opportunities in providing services are a constant endeavor. For others, these challenges and opportunities are not that obvious. A complementary aim of this book, therefore, is to instill into the reader the principles of managing services.
List of contents
Figures
Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction and OverviewIntroduction to Customer-Focused Management
Understanding Customer Value and Service OrientationCustomer Value: What Business Are You In?
On Being Service Oriented: The Key to a Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Managing Customer InformationUnderstanding the Customer
Customer Knowledge Management
Creating and Delivering Superior Customer ValueDesigning and Developing Superior Customer Value
Delivering Customer-Focused Value by Managing Customer Interactions
Maximizing Yield from Value-Creating Assets
Managing Customer RelationshipsSelecting and Attracting the Right Customers
Guaranteeing Customer Value and Product Quality
Customer Defection Management
Ensuring Customer-Focused CultureEnsuring a Customer-Focused Corporate Culture
Subject Index
Company Index
About the author
JOBY JOHN is Professor and Chair of the Marketing Department at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.
