Service Magic: The Art of Amazing Your Customers

264 Pages·2003·1.49 MB·English

by  Chip Bell

P R A I S E F O R S E R V I C E M A G I C
“Zemke and Bell reveal the secret for making enchantment a tool for
customer loyalty.”
—Ken Blanchard, Coauthor of The One Minute Manager and
Whale Done!™
“Service Magic is a must-read for anyone interested in changing their
customers’ experience from ho-hum to Wow!”
—James Mapes, Author of Quantum Leap Thinking
“Two thumbs way up for Service Magic.It unveils the secrets to customer
loyalty in a way that is both poignant and practical.”
—Bob Gault, President and COO of Universal Orlando
“Service Magic takes service excellence to the next level, illustrating ex-
actly how to achieve the Wow Factor. The three Ps of Place, Process, and
Performance all have to be present to deliver Service Magic.”
—Judith S. Corson, Cofounder and Former President of Custom
Research Inc.
“A fun and valuable book to read if you are interested in service, in
magic, or in both.”
—Dr. Leonard L. Berry, Author of Discovering the Soul of Service
“Service Magic will be the playbook used by organizations that want to
provide superior customer service. It’s a must-read!”
—Paul Eckert, President and COO of United Financial Services
Group
“Service Magicis a very innovative but practical approach for taking your
service to the next level.”
—John Goodman, President of TARP
“Service Magic provides delicious ideas for giving customers a smile on
their face and a reason to return.”
—Phil Romano, Founder of Romano’s Macaroni Grill

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in
regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the pub-
lisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service.
If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent
professional person should be sought.
Vice President and Publisher: Cynthia A. Zigmund
Senior Managing Editor: Jack Kiburz
Interior Design: Lucy Jenkins
Cover Design: Scott Rattray, Rattray Design
Typesetting: the dotted i
Interior Art: Douglas Oudekerk
Cover images from Masterfile® and photographer Bill Frymire (Stars) and from
Getty Images Taxi Collection and photographer Scott Morgan (top hat).
© 2003 by Performance Research Associates, Inc.
Published by Dearborn Trade Publishing
A Kaplan Professional Company
All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be re-
produced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
03 04 05 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Zemke, Ron.
Service magic : the art of amazing your customers / Ron Zemke and
Chip Bell.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7931-6467-2 (6x9 pbk.)
1. Customer services—United States. 2. Consumer satisfaction—United
States. 3. Customer loyalty—United States. 4. Service industries—Customer
services—United States. I. Bell, Chip R. II. Title.
HF5415.5.Z465 2003
658.8(cid:1)12—dc21
2003001187
Dearborn Trade books are available at special quantity discounts to use for sales
promotions, employee premiums, or educational purposes. Please call our Special
Sales Department to order, or for more information, at 800-621-9621, ext. 4404, or
e-mail [email protected].
F O R E W O R D
Service Magic is not about creating illusions. It is a powerful book
that applies the art and skill of stage magic to the creation of a service
experience that seems magical. What does that look like? When the
service you receive leaves you with a smile on your face and a story to
tell, you have just had a bona fide service magic experience. It is pre-
cisely that magic that Ron Zemke and Chip Bell now bring within the
reach of any willing reader. They cleverly show us how to use Place,
Process, and Performance to produce a magical result for your cus-
tomers—and do it with regularity and charm.
Service Magic has an ingredient rare in other books but not surpris-
ing to me given my long acquaintance with the authors. Zemke and Bell
have managed to integrate and interweave the latest research on cus-
tomer care and their theory of Service Magic without faltering or bor-
ing the reader. I am equally awed and impressed at the generous way
they cite the work of others. I respect their willingness to point out the
shoulders on which they stand.
In the last decade, Zemke and Bell have written a number of first-
rate, award-winning books on customer care and service. Service Magic
will quickly take a place on, and likely go to the head of, this long, dis-
tinguished list. It is important, inspiring, fun, and applicable. It clearly
and cleverly presents the ingredients that keep customers coming back
for more, because, in the language of FISH!,it shows you how to “make
their day.”
—Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D.
Coauthor of FISH!, FISH! Tales, and FISH! Sticks
v

C O N T E N T S
Acknowledgments xi
S E C T I O N O N E
The Anatomy of Service Magic
The creation of memorable, positive customer service is strikingly parallel in
structure and outcome to fine stage magic. While exemplars like Nordstrom, The
Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and USAA Insurance are famous for their uses of
enchantment, special practices come from organizations as diverse as Wayzata
Dental, the St. Paul Saints, and the Hairy Cactus Nail Salon.
1. The Art and Craft of the Stage Magician 3
2. The Service Magic Method™:An Architecture for Practical Amazement 12
3. Place,Process,Performance:The Three Ps of Service Magic 23
S E C T I O N T W O
Place Magic
The service magician’s role as supporting cast and elucidator of Place Magic is
a subtle but critical adjunct to experience and effort. Take a lesson from the likes
of Universal Studios, Sewell Village Cadillac, Old Faithful Inn, Ed Debevic’s Diner,
and Steinway & Sons on how the setting can be managed to leave customers with
an unforgettable experience.
4. Natural Place Magic:Nature’s Own ...Plus 41
5. High-Level Man-Made Place Magic 47
6. Applying Little Magics in Big Places 57
7. Third Place Magic 65
vii
viii
CONTENTS
S E C T I O N T H R E E
Process Magic
Policies, procedures, and routines from initial contact to problem solving that
amaze the customer with their ease and simplicity are magical. Hotel Monaco,
Aurora Health Care, MidAmerican Energy, and Byerly’s Grocery Store are a few
examples of service providers who craft processes with style and grace that
enhance the experience.
8. Process Magic:Blending Comfortable Consistency with Surprise 75
9. Magical Scripts 86
10. The Six Secrets of Magical Service Recovery 95
S E C T I O N F O U R
Performance Magic
Great service magicians, like stage magicians, are masters of audience
dissection. They read customers in order to tailor their performance. Sometimes
the “read” warns the service magician to replace what is planned; sometimes it
simply cues a change in presentation. Café Un Deux Trois, the Peabody Hotel, and
the Minnesota Renaissance Festival provide some of the unique insights into
elevating the usual to the amazing.
11. Reading Your Audience 109
12. Magical Rapport:Matching Trick to Audience 119
13. Delivering Magical Dialogues 128
14. The Tenants of Performance Magic 136
S E C T I O N F I V E
A Different Kind of Magic:The Virtual Realm
Service Magic is not just the realm of brick-and-mortar offerings. Successful
e-service ventures are skillful practitioners of “virtual” Service Magic. Lesser known
e-ventures like REI.com, Chipotle.com, Clinique.com, Godiva.com, and
LillianVernon.com have developed creative ways to enchant their customers and
yield impressive traffic and retention.
15. Virtual Place Magic 145
16. Virtual Performance Magic 149
17. Virtual Process Magic 152
ix
CONTENTS
S E C T I O N S I X
Where the Three Ps Come Together
There is magic in Place, Performance, and Process—and all three magics are
available to the skilled service magician. Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Von Maur,
Children’s Memorial Hospital, All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting, and QVC are
mini-case examples of organizations that use the 3 Ps to regularly create customer
experiences that are unpredictable, valuable, and reproducible.
18. Romano’s Macaroni Grill:Where Life Is Delicious—
and a Little Magical 163
19. Von Maur:Midwestern Magic Spreads Across the Prairie 169
20. Children’s Memorial Hospital:We’re Not in a Hospital Anymore,Toto 175
21. All-Outdoors Whitewater Rafting:Where Magical Rides Start on Virtual
Rivers 181
22. QVC:Real People Creating Virtual Magic 185
S E C T I O N S E V E N
The Service Magician’s Pocket Toolkit:Something
Old,Something New,Many Things
Borrowed,Nothing Blue
No magic book would be complete without a compendium of helpful tools
for creating and delivering simple magical service. This section provides many
examples of simple yet provocative ways service providers have transformed a
routine service experience into one customers rave about to their colleagues.
23. Place Pocket Service Magic 195
24. Process Pocket Service Magic 199
25. Performance Pocket Service Magic 206
26. Magical Recovery 214
Appendix A: The Service Magic Impact Audit™ 221
Appendix B: Recommended Resources 229
Endnotes 233
Index 241
About the Authors 247