Product Description
What’s the secret to wowing your customers while maintaining a loyal and dedicated workforce? No one knows better than Enterprise, the nationnation’s #1 car rental company, Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Drawing upon the secrets time-tested strategies that have propelledhelped Enterprise grow from a single location in St. Louis car dealership into a $9 billion global powerhouse, EXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS reveals how to:
Actively seek out unsatisfied customers and quickly turn them into loyal fans commit to improving their experience
Hire smart people and at the bottom, and train them from the ground up
ImplementDevelop methods to reduce costs and add value for your customers in every interaction.
Grow your business by rewarding employees with financial incentives, developing strong partnerships, and focusing on the long term; willing customer loyalty is like running a marathon, not a 100-yard dash
Thrive during tough economic times by… More >>
If Enterprise really cares about customer service, why have their customers created one of the largest and most vocal customer service complaint web sites with tens of thousands of discussion board posts about how horrible their customer service is?
See the site at Failing Enterprise (dot) com.
This book is purely public relations propaganda designed to whitewash over their myriad problems.
Rating: 1 / 5
EXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS by Kirk Kazanjian may be viewed in a variety of ways. Many will consider this book nothing more than a marketing campaign, and in large part, they would be correct. However, I find no fault in that. If that were the intention of the people at Enterprise, it is ingenious. They certainly won my loyalty, not that I ever have much need to rent a vehicle, but if I ever do,….
Others might view this book just as the title opines, an instructional treatise on customer service. They too would be correct, but only to a certain degree. I say that because I found the book to be more of a business model. In fact, I would say this book is broken down thusly; 50% business model, 30% Enterprise company history and 20% customer service. Therefore, my only big knock on this book is the title, which leads the reader to believe customer service is the primary focus here. It is not. That is not to say, however, that readers will not glean valuable information on customer service, just not as much as this reader would have liked.
The book reads well and Kazanjian is to be commended for his work, but I do not believe the story paints quite the intended picture. I found in large part, the Enterprise Company bumbled its way into prosperity because a few headstrong employees refused to follow company policy! A good example is the Enterprise “we’ll pick you up” mantra. I won’t give too much of the book away, but this and other business innovations within the company happened by chance. Please do not mistake this as ridicule of the company. Enterprise is certainly a gem in today’s marketplace, just understand that according to this book, much of the company’s success wasn’t planned that way. Perhaps that in and of itself is what has made them successful; their ability to adapt.
I would like to make one other observation about the title of the book. My fear is that many will miss out on this book because of the title. This is an excellent resource for constructing a business model and is, at best, a mediocre source on customer service. If you are on a quest for knowledge on “exceeding customer expectations” you will likely be disappointed here as there are certainly more informative volumes available.
Rating: 4 / 5
A recent media study found that there are fewer than 20 U.S.-based corporations that have never laid off employees during an economic downturn. One of the largest of those is $9 billion global juggernaut Enterprise Rent-A-Car. This company had humble beginnings as a small leasing concern in Missouri but grew into a privately-held corporate icon. The company founder, Jack Taylor, has used a simple homespun formula for success over the past 50 years, “Take care of your customers and employees first, and the profits will follow.” Author Kirk Kazanjian explores the drive, determination and dedication that has helped this family-owned business dominate its sector and maintain its spot as the top car rental agency in America. Soundview recommends this book because it focuses on the intrinsic value Enterprise places on its employees as the channel to ultimately drive delight to its customers – because without happy, fulfilled and empowered employees customers won’t come back. Additionally, this book is not based on unproven academic ideas and theoretical models. It is a time-tested, profit-proven approach to doing business that Kazanjian says can be retrofitted to virtually any business that has customers. Give your employees an upgrade the Enterprise way and your revenues may kick into overdive.
Rating: 4 / 5
This book is AWESOME! Although Enterprise is a car rental company, many of their methods can be successfully applied to other businesses. Another great companion book to this is The Ultimate Question by Fred Reicheld. They both make the assertion that you have to turn first time customers into “promoters” who will return AND bring others with them. When I need to rent a car I will Pick Enterprise…They Pick Me Up!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
Enterprise is the best, and this book tells us exactly why. Take care of your customers and employees first, then the profits will follow. Well written, easily understood, this is a book that anyone having anything to do with customer service should read. Learn the secret that makes Enterprise Rent-a-Car so succussful. Well worth the read.
Rating: 5 / 5