Branded Customer Service: The New Competitive Edge »

Barlow is president of Time Manager International, a consulting firm that specializes in time management.

Paul Stewart is a Professor at the University of the West of England Business School.

The author of the bestselling "A Complaint Is a Gift" explores building band equity through enhanced and focused customer service.

Library Journal

Barlow (A Complaint Is a Gift ) and Stewart (chief economist, ANZ Banking Group) are both affiliated with the international consulting group TMI. Here they link two concepts rarely discussed in concert: branding, which has typically been the talk of marketers, and customer service, traditionally part of a company's operations function. As a result, dealing with service representatives can disappoint customers, whose expectations are usually defined by advertisements or promotions. The authors argue that a brand is a very special thing that touches people at an emotional level-and their feelings can be instantly destroyed when the experience falls short of the promise. The book shows how to start the process of making sure that all employees in an organization-especially those who will interact with customers-really understand what their brand is about and how it should be reflected in their service. Books providing greater context on this subject include Marc Gobe and Sergio Zyman's Emotional Branding and Douglas Atkin's The Culting of Brands. Nevertheless, corporate libraries, business schools, and general circulation/ public libraries with extensive marketing or business sections should consider.-Stephen E. Turner, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.