Product Plus: How Product + Service = Competitive Advantage

Abstract

In this text, Christopher Lovelock demonstrates how organizations consistently profit by putting customers first, and lays out a proven strategy for building an entire company around customer-is-king satisfaction. Based on an in-depth understanding of customer needs, the book's nucleus is its five-point plus services: information - how to transmit instructions and advice, take reservations and provide progress reports; hospitality - how to welcome customers with courteous greetings, comfortable waiting areas and readily available facilities; caretaking - how customers appreciate such extra touches as convenient parking, secure coatrooms and personal care of their valuables; exceptions - how companies can impress everyone with service for the handicapped, those with special dietary needs, and other exceptional customers; and payment - how to avoid the one last chance to disappoint. With these principles in place, Lovelock illustrates how an organization can harness the power of modern technology to improve service quality; leverage employee skills; speed service delivery; reduce costs; and increase productivity. He goes behind the scenes of well-known service companies to see what makes them tick, details the best strategies of international companies, and flowcharts the customer's experience to see how buying decisions and product loyalty evolve.

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