Chris Watson

This book takes the HOW TO concept to a different level. I can relate to author Lisa Dance's book because I have been on both sides of the "customer service fence" each as a customer and employee; both in the private sector and public government jobs. As a public relations professional who has interacted with people of various demographics, I have found that parties on opposite sides of the "fence" are responsible for having a great customer service experience. This book does a great job in explaining both sides of the "fence." Two things I find that are the cornerstone of good customer service are "empathy" and "humor" - emotions which I have found that (for the former) helps to connect with sad/distraught customers, and (for the latter) assist with de-escalating upset customers. Because I use these attributes - not to mention the fact I am also a big fan of comic books, I have found this book not just informative, but also very enjoyable to read; this is due to the author - along with her illustrator Antonio Meza - "led to a collaboration where we used empathy and humor to create visually compelling illustrations," states Dance. I particularly liked Chapter 10 - Applying for Unemployment Benefits. While I will not go into detail about why this chapter speaks to me, I will truly say I can related to nearly the entire chapter as it relates to me trying (and STILL trying as of this writing) to obtain my unemployment benefits from the Virginia Employment Commission. In short, if you have been the subject of bad customer service, or has worked as a representative who had to deal with an "emotional" patron, you should buy this book... ...plus, a book with cartoons and pictures is always fun to read.