Nation’s Best Customer Service Providers Share Leading-Edge Thinking in New Book

PHOENIX--(EON:Enhanced Online News)--Every company pays lip service to serving its customers, but few truly delight them. For those looking to improve but don’t know where to start, a new book providing advice and ideas from companies with reputations for actually delivering outstanding service is only a few mouse clicks away. Better yet, it’s free.

“By consolidating the most valuable takeaways into an easy-to-read resource, Avnet and ASU bring the symposium to companies all over the world”

Compete Through Service: the Moment of Truth, a thematic Cliffs Notes-style summary of Arizona State University’s Center for Services Leadership’s 17^th annual Compete Through Service Symposium, quickly and succinctly highlights leading-edge ideas and practical applications so readers can quickly absorb and use the information. The 133-page book is available at http://www.avnet.com/services/. No registration is required.

“By consolidating the most valuable takeaways into an easy-to-read resource, Avnet and ASU bring the symposium to companies all over the world,” said Steve Church, chief human resources development officer at Avnet, Inc., the company that compiled the book based on notes taken during the symposium. “Now they can learn from the best, most dynamic and stimulating experts in the fields of services leadership, operational strategy, human resources and organizational development, at their leisure.”

Topics covered include understanding customers, creating a service culture, engaging and empowering employees and building trust. Symposium presenters quoted represent companies with reputations for outstanding customer service, including Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, IBM Global Services, Lowe’s, Luxottica Retail, Marriott Lodging Brand Management and Monster.com.

In addition to providing direct quotes from the presenters, each of the nine chapters also contains “thought starters” – questions designed to spark discussion about the customer service ideas introduced – as well as ideas for applying the principles highlighted at a reader’s company.

This book is the fifth in a row by Avnet covering the annual Compete Through Service Symposium.

About Avnet

With more than 250 locations serving customers in 70 countries worldwide, Avnet (NYSE: AVT) markets, distributes and adds value to the products of the world's leading electronic component suppliers, enterprise computer manufacturers and embedded subsystem providers.

Additionally, Avnet brings a breadth and depth of service capabilities, such as supply-chain optimization, logistics solutions, product assembly, device programming, computer system integration and engineering design assistance. For the fiscal year ended July 1, 2006, Avnet generated revenue of $14.25 billion. Visit www.avnet.com/.

About Arizona State University’s Center for Services Leadership

For business leaders, academics and students who need to know how to use services as a source of competitive advantage in business, the Center for Services Leadership is the bridge between business and education. A trusted education partner to business since 1985, the Center helps organizations provide exemplary customer service, innovative free-standing services that generate revenue, and differentiating customer- and service-centric cultures. The Center can be reached at 480-965-6201 or visit www.cob.asu.edu/csl.

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