SAINT JOSEPH'S PROFESSOR EMPOWERS CUSTOMERS, FREE OF CHARGE, VIA THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Contact: Thomas W. Durso, Director of Media Relations, 610.660.1532, [email protected]
Philadelphia, Pa. (May 1, 2000) - Type the phrase "customer service" into the search box of Amazon.com's books section, and 711 titles come back for your perusal. Unfortunately, notes Saint Joseph's University consumer expert Dr. Richard J. George, few of them are written for the average customer's benefit.
With this in mind, Dr. George, a professor of food marketing and co-author of the 1997 book "Delight Me. . . The Ten Commandments of Customer Service," has written a new monograph, "Customer Power: Seven Steps to Get What You Want (and Deserve)."
"Customer Power" is no dense, unwieldy tome, but a highly usable and swift read that provides step-by-step strategies that can be used in a wide variety of buying situations. Perhaps best of all, Dr. George is offering it via a free download from his Web site.
"Since writing 'Delight Me. . .' and speaking on the subject of customer service around the world, I have come to the conclusion that we as consumers have to take more responsibility for getting what we want and deserve," Dr. George says. "I wrote 'Customer Power' to help customers get what they want without undue hassle and to assist them in getting relief when they don't get what they pay for. Unlike other customer-service books, this is designed to be practical, manageable, and memorable."
The book provides seven steps for consumers to follow: Know what you want; do your homework; put together a game plan; communicate what you want; always get what you paid for; don't grumble-complain; and be smarter the next time. In addition, there are self-help worksheets for readers and handy references to be used as the reader follows the seven steps.
The strategies in "Customer Power" can be applied to both big-ticket items and smaller purchases. "The peace of mind that results from doing it right the first time is invaluable," notes Dr. George, who adds that buyers have a responsibility along with sellers to make the transaction process as smooth as possible for everyone.
"I honestly believe that companies are trying to do a better job of meeting our expectations," Dr. George writes. "Companies selling to us need help, and 'Customer Power' is designed to help them and to help us to make sure that the exchange of your time and money for goods and services is a 'win-win' situation."
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