Richard Gallagher - 20 Mar

Advance praise for
The Customer Service Survival Kit

Rich Gallagher explores the daunting task of dealing with your most difficult customers in The Customer Service Survival Kit. This invaluable book provides service professionals of all levels with a clear framework of how to anticipate customer expectations and turn customer service nightmares into winning situationsevery time!

Carolyn Healey, Publisher, SupportIndustry.com and RecognizeServiceExcellence.com

When the worst-case scenarios happen, as they often do when serving customers, this book is a lifesaver! Knowing what to say, when to say it and how to say it will be the difference between having a former customer and a loyal customer!

Randi Busse, President and Founder of Workforce Development Group, Inc.

What is the key to great customer service? Rich Gallagher shows how to confidently handle even the worst customer service issues!

Barry Moltz, author of Bounce! and Small Town Rules

Just when I thought I had seen it all and learned as much as I could from Rich, he proves me wrong. The examples alone will give you reason to pick up the book time and time again.

Phil Verghis, Chief Everything Officer, The Verghis Group, and author of The Ultimate Customer Support Executive

If youve delivered any sort of service to customers, you know bad things sometimes happen to good customers. But theres never been a guide to handle these problemsuntil now. Rich Gallagher penned THE ultimate guide to what happens when things go wrongand they will go wrong! This book is filled with useful insights even the most experienced customer service professional can learn from. Rundont walkto get your copy today.

Phil Gerbyshak, Chief Connections Officer and author of four books and over 2,000 articles on customer service, social media, and more

Rich Gallagher is a customer service rock star!

Prof. Susan Stafford, Chair of Hotel and Restaurant Management, SUNY TC3

THE

Customer Service
Survival Kit

THE

Customer Service
Survival Kit

What to Say to Defuse Even the
Worst Customer Situations

Richard S. Gallagher

Foreword by Carol Roth

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This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gallagher, Richard S.

The customer service survival kit : what to say to defuse even the worst customer situations / Richard S. Gallagher.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8144-3183-2 (pbk.)ISBN 0-8144-3183-6 (pbk.) 1. Customer services. 2. Customer relations. I. Title.

HF5415.5.G3468 2013
658.812dc23

2012040797

2013 Richard S. Gallagher
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

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Printing number

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Colleen, my joy and my soul mate

by Carol Roth

COMMUNICATION IS AN ART as well as a science. In our modern world of texts, tweets, and emails, coupled with a general oversaturation of information, I believe that communication has actually become a lost art. However, that lost art is about to be reclaimed.

In The Customer Service Survival Kit: What to Say to Defuse Even the Worst Customer Situations, Rich Gallagher masterfully helps you conquer this lost art form, which will not only help you turn around virtually any customer issue but also give you the nuanced skills to be able to communicate effectively with just about anyone.

While communication as an art form may be lost, it has become more important than ever. Todays crowded business landscape is extremely competitive, and although it may be easier to superficially reach customers, they are bombarded with so much information that it is difficult to break through the noise. In addition, it is easy for customers to affect your business with their opinions. Myriad outlets, from blogs to review sites to social media, allow customers to share their thoughts about your business, regardless of whether that feedback is accurate or warranted. So your ability to solve issues quickly and effectivelyand to plain avoid them in the first placeis one of the greatest assets you and your team can leverage for success.

Im a tough customer when it comes to books (well truthfully, to just about anything), and I loved this book. Rich Gallagher is one of the best communicators around, and he has a deep, credible background as a writer, communications skills expert, and psychotherapist. The Customer Service Survival Kit is everything you would want in a business book: Its well written, easy to understand, and, most importantly, relevant and helpful. Plus, I think its more than a business book, as the communication lessons within can apply to almost any personal or professional situation.

Im always amazed at how much of what we say gets lost in translation, especially in a world where everyone seems to be tuned in to their favorite radio station, WIIFM (Whats in It for Me). However, whats so powerful about communication and the lessons in this book is that the same information can resonate differently with a slight tweak in approach and perspective, clever rephrasing, or just extending some desired empathy.

If you are anything like me, you may have a burning desire to want to explain and show to people what is right. But to be successful in any relationshippersonal or business-orientedit is critical to remember the goals. Unfortunately, being right as a goal rarely gets you the best outcome. The Customer Service Survival Kit