Contents

PART ONE The Situation Welcome to Turbulent Times!

1 How the Service Covenant Became Corrupted

2 Picky: Why Today’s Customers Are Finicky

3 Fickle: Why Today’s Customers Are Capricious

4 Vocal: Why Today’s Customers Are Noisy

5 Vain: Why Today’s Customers Are Self-Centered

PART TWO The Resolution Manifesto: The Wired and Dangerous Link

6 How the Service Covenant Can Be Rebalanced

7 Grounding: How to Balance Yourself for Partnership

8 Connection: How to Help Customers Feel Like Partners

9 Bad Connections: How to Turn Angry Customers into Partners

10 Wireless Connections: How to Partner with Customers via the Internet

11 Congruence: How to Get the Service Setting in Balance

12 Acumen: How to Keep the Customer Relationship in Balance

PART THREE Suggestions for Partnering with Customers

Flash Drive: Tools and Favorites

Tools

1 For Calming Customer Crackpots, Bullies, and Militants

2 For Serving When Customer Pain Must Be Involved

3 For Giving Great Lateral Service

4 For Service Leadership in Turbulent Times

5 For Crafting a Really Cool Service Vision

6 For a Great Emotional Connection with Customers

7 For Conducting a Truly Focused Focus Group

8 For Serving as an Expert

9 For “Serving in the Dark” Like a Partner

10 For Firing a Customer

11 For Conducting Customer Forensics

12 For Determining If Your Service Process Is Unwell

13 For Adding Decoration to the Service Experience

14 For Designing a Survey Your Customers Will Actually Complete

Favorites

Best Books on Understanding the Wired and Dangerous Customer

Best Websites for Understanding the Wired and Dangerous Customer

Favorite Service Quotes

Twenty Things Today’s Wired and Dangerous Customers Really Want

Favorite Metaphor for Turning “Dangerous” Customers into Advocates

A Poem on Customers as Partners

Notes

Bibliography

Thanks

Index

About the Authors