Literature reviews
Our literature reviews provide an overview of the current knowledge and methodology in a chosen customer service subject. They enable you to bring yourself up to date on a particular issue and explore wider reading material.
Institute members receive free copies of our literature reviews, so make sure you login before purchasing.
Consumer Channel Choice
£25.00Literature review that explores the relationship between consumer motives and their choice of purchasing channel.This product is a downloadable PDFThe customer experience (sponsored by Prudential)
£25.00This literature review addresses three questions: Why is the customer experience important? How is it defined? and How can it be improved?This product is a downloadable PDFWorld-class Service
£25.00Literature review that explores the meaning of the term 'world-class service' (WCS), models to promote WCS within organisations and how to measure and maintain a WCS.This product is a downloadable PDFImplementing Varney in local government
£25.00This literature review examines how local councils have implemented recommendations in the 2006 Varney Report. It also asks: What are the pitfalls and what results can be obtained?This product is a downloadable PDFAnalysing customer complaining
£25.00This literature review answers three questions: Is there any point in complaining? How should an organisation respond? What are the benefits of handling a complaint properly?This product is a downloadable PDFThe web experience – trends in e-service
£25.00This literature review analyses the increasingly wide range of e-services and discusses the measurement of e-service quality. It also outlines the barriers faced in adopting new technology. This review is free to Institute members: If you are a member please login before buying.This product is a downloadable PDFListen up! Skills that call centre employees need to be successful (sponsored by CPM)
£25.00This literature review looks at what skills are important for staff in customer service call centres, exploring professionalism, stress, communication and the role of managers.This product is a downloadable PDFHow important is employee satisfaction to customer service?
£25.00This review explores the link between employee satisfaction and looks at factors that contribute to satisfied staff.This product is a downloadable PDFLean and six sigma
£25.00This literature review describes how these two process methodologies can be used and their benefits maintained over time.This product is a downloadable PDFOrganisational culture change
£25.00In this literature review the author explores why culture is important to an organisation and suggests factors and management practices that should be considered during culture change.This product is a downloadable PDFCustomers and customer service in the future: The generation gap
£25.00This literature review examines how the generation gap does (or doesn't) affect customers' service experiences.This product is a downloadable PDFConsumer ethics – a moving target
£25.00It is vital for businesses to pay closer attention to the various ethical dilemmas and complexities at a consumer level. Focusing on the ‘dark side’ of consumer behaviour this paper offers an overview of key literatures on consumer ethics.This product is a downloadable PDFMeasuring intangibles - the example of customer service quality
£25.00In this literature review we examine measurement methods for intangibles such as service quality, customer satisfaction, customer experience, brand image and customer loyalty.This product is a downloadable PDFCustomers and customer service in the future: Global customer service (sponsored by Unilever)
£25.00In this literature review we look at the impact of globalisation on customers and customer service. We try to answer the questions of whether a ‘global customer’ actually exists and how effective it is to operate customer service strategies on a global basis.This product is a downloadable PDFUK versus US: reality and myth in customer service standards in these countries
£25.00This literature review examines the difference between customer service standards in the US and the UK, answering the question: Is US service really better than UK service?This product is a downloadable PDFBecoming a customer of choice
£25.00Published October 2010. Written by Robert East, Kingston Business School. In this review we consider the customer from the standpoint of the supplying organisation or firm.This product is a downloadable PDFManaging and delivering world-class services: the value of customer service skills (Sponsored by Inspiring People)
£25.00Published October 2010.Written by Mark Gatenby, Kingston Business School, Kingston University and was sponsored by Inspiring People. This literature review explores four customer service skills areas: What are customer service skills?, Is the customer always right? - Managing the customer during the service encounter, What can managers do to increase customer service skills? and The value of customer service skills.This product is a downloadable PDFDiversity and ethnicity - demands placed by diverse customers (Sponsored by Yorkshire Water)
£25.00Published October 2010. Written by John Eldred and Peter Martins da Silva, Kingston Business School, Kingston University. Sponsored by Yorkshire Water. Two trends are creating new challenges for service organisations. First, consumer groups with perceived or actual special needs are asserting their social and legal rights to get the service experience they require, and second, globalisation is creating greater diversity within the service organisation's customer base.This product is a downloadable PDFCustomers and customer service in the future: external forces impacting on customer service
£25.00Published October 2010. Written by Dr. Daniel Nunan and Professor Simon Knox, Cranfield University School of Management. In this report we review key literature relating to various types of external forces, including economic, political, demographic and technical, and consider how they might impact the way that customer service is delivered in the future.This product is a downloadable PDFOutsourcing
£25.00Published October 2010. Written by Desmond Doran and Stephanie Morgan, Kingston Business School, Kingston University. This review explores the various dimensions of outsourcing as well as the processes and difficulties associated with the transfer of in-house activities to external third parties.This product is a downloadable PDF
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