Preface
1. Competing Through Services
2. Creating a Service Advantage
3. Service Maintenance: Removing Things Gone Wrong
4. Improving Service Performance: Adding Things Gone Right
5. Service Innovation
6. Lead the Way
Appendix: The IKEA Saga
Notes
The Authors
Index

Description

Competing in a Service Economy is a hands-on guide to creating services, with illustrative examples from service-oriented companies including Disney, Ericsson, IKEA, National Association of Convenience Stores, Ritz Carlton, Scandinavian Airline Systems, Sterling Pulp Chemicals, and Telia Mobile. This practical resource for executives, general managers, and managers in marketing, operations, and human resources reveals how to gain a competitive advantage by creating and implementing a strategic plan that will ultimately improve their organization's services. Written by the authors of the best-selling book Improving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Profit, this important new book will help business professionals to think and plan strategically to dramatically improve services, service development, and service innovation within their organizations.
The Wiley Advantage

Case studies on IKEA, Disney, Volvo Trucks, Sterling Pulp Chemicals and EMC2 illustrate various approaches.
Authors bring extensive knowledge base through years of both academic and applied research in collaboration with a variety of firms and organization.
Hands-on approach to structuring and implementing new service development activities.

Competing in a Service Economy is a hands-on guide to creating services, with illustrative examples from service-oriented companies including Disney, Ericsson, IKEA, National Association of Convenience Stores, Ritz Carlton, Scandinavian Airline Systems, Sterling Pulp Chemicals, and Telia Mobile. This practical resource for executives, general managers, and managers in marketing, operations, and human resources reveals how to gain a competitive advantage by creating and implementing a strategic plan that will ultimately improve their organization's services. Written by the authors of the best-selling book Improving Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Profit, this important new book will help business professionals to think and plan strategically to dramatically improve services, service development, and service innovation within their organizations.