The Brave New Service Strategy

Aligning Customer Relationships, Market Strategies and Business Structures

by Theresa Welsh and Barbara A. Gutek

AMACOM, 2000

ISBN: 9780814405277
Pages: 316

Category: Sales & Marketing

In this summary you will learn

• What the difference between an encounter and a relationship is
• How to enhance your relationships

Why you should read The Brave New Service Strategy

Barbara A. Gutek and Theresa Welsh believe that companies can improve their relationships with customers if they find the approach that best fits their business. The authors emphasize the difference between real relationships - ongoing, personal contacts between a customer and an individual service provider - and mere encounters - where the customer’s relationship is with the company and a random variety of service employees. Many companies confuse the two, trying to turn encounters into relationships, and ending up with pseudo-relationships that alienate customers. Instead, realistically determine what you offer customers and what customers want, and then adjust your systems or policies accordingly. This excellent book provides executives and business owners with an insightful analytical framework for understanding customer relationships. While clear and well organized, it is sometimes repetitious - perhaps to be sure we all get the idea - but getAbstract recommends it highly for the soundness of its concepts, if not the economy of its prose.

About the Authors

Barbara A. Gutek  s a professor in the Department of Management and Policy at the Eller College of Business and Public Administration at the University of Arizona. She has been a consultant to companies and government agencies. She has written several books, including Sex in the Workplace and The Dynamics of Service. Theresa Welsh  has written numerous articles for popular publications and worked as a writer and editor for more than 10 years.

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