by: Shelle Rose Charvet

Copyright: 2009

Reviewed by Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.

No matter what business you're in, it's a sure bet: You have customers. It's also a sure bet that customers will bother you, or someone on your staff, with their problems and complaints. This book teaches how to transform unhappy customers into loyal customers, and customer complaints into customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction means repeat sales, more referrals, and higher profit---oh yes, and fewer frustrations for customer service staff!

Shelle Rose Charvet's new book (November 2009), The Customer is Bothering Me, is all about navigating the communication challenges of customer service. The book's principal tool is the LAB Profile, an easy-to-use questionnaire developed and tested by Roger Bailey in the 1990's. With this tool, customer service reps can:
* Identify what motivates people just by asking a few questions and listening to key elements of the conversation.
* Communicate with words and phrases (Influencing Language) that match each customer's thinking processes and decision-making style.
* Inspire the customer to think differently and or take action.
* Create positive customer relationships.

The Customer is Bothering Me is the long-awaited follow-on to Rose Charvet's highly successful Words that Change Minds. With the latter, you can learn to interpret the LAB Profile, and apply the conversational guidelines in a number of business situations, such as teambuilding. With the former, you can apply the same principles to assuaging the ire of upset customers.

Rose Charvet first contrasts typical customer service philosophies, and how these philosophies influence the customer experience. She then examines customer rage, from the customer's point of view, and discusses "The Great Customer Attitude Shift" of the last decade. Additionally, readers get a good look at the problems faced by understaffed and overworked customer service employees. Want to find our how companies reward bad customer service? Read chapter 4.

This book tells corporate managers how to revamp their customer service philosophies at every operational level. The author provides specific tactics for every step of the customer service transaction, from greeting the customer, determining the customer's need, offering knowledge and solutions, to nurturing the relationship.

With short case studies, sample dialog, scripts, tables, and templates, Rose Charvet teaches readers exactly how to respond to customer emotions, stay in rapport with the customer, ask the right questions, understand customer expectations, clarify what the customer wants, make amends, and create a positive image in the customer's mind. The text even goes so far as to recommend the voice tone for the customer service rep to use at each point in the process.

If your company relies on mass marketing, chapter 12 gives language guidelines for ad campaigns with optimum customer appeal. Additional topics include recruitment considerations, branding, staff morale, how to handle adverse publicity, and customer feedback mechanisms.

This book stands out for the clarity of the instruction, its structured approach to a common and difficult problem, and a proven, cost-effective solution. As an author, business consultant, corporate trainer, and business owner, Shelle Rose Charvet is the consummate expert on business communication skills. The Customer is Bothering Me is sure to prove an indispensible manual for customer service training.

To purchase this book go to www.TheCustomerisBotheringMe.com

Dr. Judith E. Pearson is an NLP Trainer/Master Practitioner and licensed psychotherapist practicing in Springfield, Virginia, specializing in solution-oriented counseling and coaching She is also a trainer, writer, and speaker, and has published The Weight, Hypnotherapy and You Weight Reduction Program. Her website is www.engagethepower.com.