New Book Calls for an Old-School Rebellion in Customer Service

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA — In an era of AI, automation and sophisticated customer experience platforms, Justin Herald believes the most powerful competitive advantage available to any business costs almost nothing to implement.

Make people feel like they matter.

The Australian entrepreneur, international keynote speaker and nine-time author has spent more than 20 years working with organisations as technology, systems and the way we do business have changed enormously. Yet throughout all that change, the everyday human behaviours that build loyalty have remained remarkably simple.

His new book, Service Rebellion: The Wolf Pack Standard, explores why those behaviours can so easily drift as businesses grow and evolve — and how organisations can turn them into standards that customers experience consistently.

Calling when you said you would. Taking ownership instead of passing someone on. Remembering a returning customer. Keeping people informed without making them chase you. Noticing when somebody needs help. Doing what you promised.

None of it sounds revolutionary.

According to Herald, that may be exactly why it matters.

"Old-school doesn't have to mean outdated. Sometimes it just means remembering the human being on the other side of the transaction."

The problem may not be customer service

After more than 20 years working with businesses and speaking at conferences around the world, Herald believes most organisations genuinely want to provide a great customer experience.

The challenge is turning that intention into something customers experience consistently.

"Customers never experience your intentions. They experience your standards," Herald said. "You can have great people who genuinely care, but if everyone has a different idea of what 'great' looks like, the experience can change depending on who the customer happens to deal with."

That observation became the foundation for Service Rebellion and what Herald calls The Wolf Pack Standard — a behavioural approach designed around getting an entire team clear on the standards they collectively understand, deliver and protect.

For Herald, it is less about traditional customer service training and more about the everyday behaviours happening across an organisation.

"The strength of the pack isn't the leader. It's the standard every wolf protects," he said.

The moments businesses can easily overlook

The book also explores parts of the customer journey that can be missed simply because a business sees the journey differently from its customers.

Herald uses the period after a sale as an example.

Someone buying a car might sign today but not collect it for another two weeks. Inside the dealership, the sale has naturally moved into its next stage. But for the customer, those two weeks are filled with excitement and anticipation and remain very much part of their experience.

A phone call or simple update during that period can mean far more than its cost or effort would suggest.

"Just because the sale has been done, it doesn't mean the customer has been won," Herald said.

It's one example of a broader theme throughout the book: businesses naturally see departments, roles, systems and processes, while customers experience all of those things as one business.

From $50 to a global brand

Herald has spent much of his career looking at business from both sides of that equation.

At 25, he started Attitude Inc. with just $50 and grew it into a global brand. He went on to become an international keynote speaker, business mentor and author, speaking to organisations and conference audiences across numerous industries.

Service Rebellion: The Wolf Pack Standard is his ninth book, following eight previous bestsellers.

Interest in the new book is also extending beyond Australia, with international publishing rights currently being presented to publishers in overseas markets. Herald's previous books have been published internationally, providing an established foundation for potential foreign editions of Service Rebellion.

Herald believes the timing of the book is particularly relevant as businesses work out how to balance rapidly advancing technology with the human experience customers still value.

"We should absolutely embrace technology, AI and automation where they make things better," Herald said. "But I don't think the future is technology instead of people. The opportunity is using all of that technology while making sure customers still feel like they're dealing with people who actually care."

"Good service doesn't need to be complicated. Sometimes the most memorable thing a business can do is simply make somebody feel like they matter."

Service Rebellion: The Wolf Pack Standard is available now through major online booksellers and selected retailers.

More information: ServiceRebellion.com

Media interview opportunities

Justin Herald is available for interviews, commentary and guest segments around why old-school service is becoming more valuable in an automated world; what customers still want regardless of technology; the simple behaviours that make businesses difficult to leave; why customer experience shouldn't belong to one department; and the overlooked gaps in the customer journey before, during and after a sale.

About Justin Herald

Justin Herald is an Australian entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, business mentor and eight-time bestselling author. At 25, he founded Attitude Inc. with $50 and grew it into a global brand. For more than 20 years he has worked with businesses and spoken at conferences around the world. Service Rebellion: The Wolf Pack Standard is his ninth book.