The Finishing Touch Book Review

Customer service encompasses numerous techniques used by businesses to ensure the satisfaction of a customer. "Since the 1960's the service economy of developed countries has grown considerably. In the USA, the service sector account for 80 % of economic activity, and 70% of employment in the European Union. Service account for 60-75% of GDP" (Cram, 2010, p. 3). Services are becoming more significant as a sector of the economy, yet consumers believe that customer satisfaction is lagging in product satisfaction. Customers are looking for absolute consistency of service. This paper will examine two customer focused books, The Finishing Touch by Tony Cram and The Ownership Quotient by Haskett, Sassar, and Wheeler. Below we will unfold how each author treats customer contact in the service sector and how they overcome barriers in the customer experience to deliver a positive, upbeat and optimal customer service experience. This paper will highlight the major points of each novel and discuss how each book creates an atmosphere of service excellence, their attitude towards putting customers first and their views of the customer and the customer's role in the service proposition.

In The Finishing Touch Tony Cram (2010) explains that a great service experience happens in the customers mind. Great service comes from understand the actions, words and signals that place positive impressions in the customer's mind. Cram envisions the service encounter as a drama, separating each pivotal moment in the service experience that influences mental judgements of the customer. He then transform each moment into 'Acts'- representing his own service atmosphere - creating a theoretical play. Each act outlines a different aspect of the business-customer interaction with the winning approach being to manage perceptions to a rising upward trajectory. In other words: begin well, build the momentum and manage perceptions upwards to end with a strong finish - The Finishing Touch.

According to Cram, customer service starts with the preview- Act 1. Cram refers to this stage as the preconception that focuses on shaping the service performance. Business must attract new customers and re-attract previous ones to the service by offering an attractive, tempting and inviting promise to the customer. Initial expectation can shape the lasting perception. Buyers can become aware of your services through direct communication, media relations and word of mouth. "Each material must produce a tempting offer that does not "over sell the drama" (Cram, 2010, p.40). Therefore presenting an exaggerated portrayal of the service could lead to under delivery and disappointment. In short Cram starts to develop his service atmosphere by introducing expectation management and how the right perceptions must be set. While preconceptions are important there is only one chance to make a viable first impression. Act 2 is about engaging the customer and making a strong initial impression. These first impressions occur almost instantaneously and are decisive in predicting the fate of the business-customer relationship. They can be managed by tangible items such as employee presentation or signage, signals that create perceptions (including our five (5) senses) and expectations. One needs to "treat the first contact as an audition with a dual objective: to win the customers business and to prevent future disappointment when you serve them." (Cram, 2010, p. 43)

Although the first encounter is almost instantaneously, all business-customer interactions must gradually evolve around the build-up of trust and goodwill. This usually will take time and will only grow with consistent appropriate behaviour. Cram describes trust as having an echo-effect, meaning trust will lead to more trust (unless misused) thus making trust a demanding task. Just like person-person relationships trust takes time to fully develop and "it results from reliable delivery of expectations absence of unpleasant surprises, explanation from any shortfalls and consistent service quality" (Cram, 2010, p. 54). So what happens when the customer does not feel trust? What can one do when the interaction of the service encounter is negative?

Nothing is perfect, there are times when one must address and overcome the less pleasant parts in the service experience. These moments of risk must be managed carefully and the gap between customer expectations and what one can deliver must be closed. Customers can be unhappy for a number of reasons; your customer may have unrealistic hopes, or you may have limitations on what you can provide them but whatever it is, the problem must be resolved as quickly as possible. Cram gives an excellent example in the 20-second rule parents use on children: taking longer then 20 seconds in saying no, the situation will end in tears and a tantrum. But what can you do to resolve these problems, and quickly? Cram suggests that clustering bad news together to reduce impact, while scattering bits of good news throughout and finally placing the best bit of information at the end will reduce the negative reaction to the bad news. The three (3) main problems that lead to customer dissatisfaction as explained by Cram are price, quality and time perceptions. He suggests, in order to avoid these problems, one must "present a choice of price at an early stage to avoid price disappointment, have samplers or testers to avoid quality disappointment and finally have incentives for customers if they call at quiet times" (Cram, 2010, p.87). After the customer experiences a reality check they may be feeling hesitant about the service. This is when you need to make the customers feel important by making them feel "individual". "This is a key stage in lifting perceptions" (Cram, 2010, p.12). The key to making a customer feel important is to avoid them feeling unimportant. "Customers who are made feel important are easier to serve, respond better to serving staff and return to buy more" (Cram, 2010, p.113). By using customers names, showing that your listening, giving appreciating by praising, making solid eye context, and remembering tastes without having to be asked can ensure that your customer consideration is recognised, therefore making the service atmosphere a pleasant one.

"I can fix that" are four words that sound almost harmonious to a customer's ear. Although every company tries to deliver an error-free service experience, even the best service brands can fall short. Sometimes the error will be a company mistake or sometimes its due to customer error, yet no matter the circumstance "when a problem arises, your objective is to prove your responsiveness (how you respond to the situation) and effectiveness' (how well you got it done)" (Cram, 2010, p.137). Cram lists 8 simple