Book Review:How to Talk to Customers

Written on October 8, 2007 by Amanda M. Gladden

Last week was National Customer Service Week. Yes, there’s actually a week set aside to observe customer service here in the United States. Although most of us, unless in a service oriented industry such as a help desk or call center environment, are completely unaware of it, customer service week is observed yearly around the first week of October.

Online or off, we all have some type of customer whether we realize it or not. With increasing competition, the level of service we provide and how responsive we are to our customer’s needs will increasingly become the main determining factor for whether they stay with us or move on to our competition.

So, in honor of National Customer Service Week, I decided to review the book How to Talk to Customers: Create a Great Impression Every Time with MAGIC published earlier this year.

How to Talk to Customers: Create a Great Impression Every Time with MAGIC was written by Diane Berenbaum and Tom Larkin of Communico Ltd., a customer service training and consulting firm. The book is based on MAGIC, the company’s customer service training program.

What is MAGIC you ask? The authors believe it’s “the gold standard of behavior” that will motivate us all to “delight our customers” with effective communication. The MAGIC acronym stands for:

M: Make a Connection - Build the Relationship
A: Act Professionally – Express Confidence
G: Get to the Heart of the Matter – Listen and Ask Questions
I: Inform and Clarify What You Will Do
C: Close with the Relationship in Mind

The book is divided into six sections and twenty-three easy to read chapters. Each chapter covers:

MAGIC and Tragic moments, real life vignettes illustrating communication at its best and worse.
Exercises designed to help the reader grasp the concepts and use the skills outlined in the chapter and
MAGIC Maxims or a summary of the chapter.

My favorite maxims from the book–

1. No one cares how much you know until he(or she) knows how much you care.
2. MAGIC emphasizes relationships- not an us versus them attitude.
3. Communication means more than a set of skills that someone can learn and practice but it’s a mind-set. The right mind-set reflects implicit respect for everyone around you and a commitment to demonstrate that respect.
4. Remember that customers (for most of us bloggers that would be our readers), form an impression of you and your company from your words & tone.
5. Do what you say you will do - and look for opportunities to go beyond what you promise.
6. Perceived indifference is by far the leading cause of customer defection.
7. The customer is NOT always right - but the customer is still the customer and has value.
8. Focus on the customer’s needs and goals - not just on your own goal of making a sale. (another great take away applicable to blogging business).

Though much of the book covers how to interact with customers on the telephone, there’s much to be learned even for those who do not speak to customers on a daily basis in a call center environment. There’s even a chapter on how to create a voicemail that gives your caller the pertinent information they need prior to leaving you a message. Another covers the levels of listening and another outlines the 33 Points of MAGIC.

Verdict
An easy to read book with excellent best practices we can all use no matter how customers relate to our businesses, to build relationships.

Pros
Well written, relevant examples throughout.

Cons
A little slow at times. I wish they had touched a bit more on the use of MAGIC in email communication but perhaps that’s coming in a second book : )

Additional Links / Resources
Listen to examples of Tragic and MAGIC call handling at the Communico website, click here

More Information

To get additional information on How to Talk to Customers: Create a Great Impression Every Time withMAGIC, or purchase the book, click over to Amazon.com.
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Special thanks to Evelyn Jones.

7 Comments so far.

Dunder Mifflin Infinity Office Videos said : :

October 8th, 2007 at 6:05 pm

Good review I was thinking of buying this book.
Reem said : :

October 9th, 2007 at 12:03 am

Thanks for the review. I thought the whole MAGIC concept put a fresh spin on customer service.
Niagara Girl said : :

October 10th, 2007 at 8:28 am

Thanks for the interesting read. I will definatly check out that book.
Jack Payne said : :

October 12th, 2007 at 12:21 am

I wonder if humans will ever again re-replace robots in customer service. Have you tried to reach a human at Microsoft or Amazon lately?
Watch Prison Break Online said : :

October 12th, 2007 at 9:53 am

From the beginning i thought the book is great, and for sure it is. I will have to buy it !! Thanks
Ellie Mae said : :

October 17th, 2007 at 10:13 am

Great book review! I think these concepts stem beyond the client-business relationship and applies to several aspects of our lives. It appears to be similar to Dale Carnegie’s book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I really enjoyed that book, and I look forward to reading this one.
Chris said : :

December 4th, 2007 at 6:25 pm

I’ve been in the Customer Service industry for more than 5 years, I think I know how to talk to customers. I just need a book that covers How to Handle DifficultHarshRude&NoManners Customers =p