An internationally acclaimed quality service expert, Karen Leland is the co-founder of Sterling Consulting Group, Inc., a customer service-consulting firm that counts among its clients such companies as American Express, AT&T, and Marriott. Soon after forming the company in 1986, Leland and partner Keith Bailey competed with 12 European companies for a major contract for customer service training within the British government. They made history by winning the contract and being the first American consulting company to do so.

Today, after working with some of the most prestigious companies in the world, Karen is an internationally acclaimed expert on quality service. A dynamic speaker with over 10 years of experience as a keynote presenter and seminar leader, she has been interviewed extensively about her groundbreaking work for a variety of publications and television programs, including The New York Times, Newsweek, CNN and NBC.

Leland and business partner Keith are the primary judges for the Inc. Positive Performer Award honoring companies that have achieved an outstanding level of quality service.

As a result of their outstanding level reputation, IDG Book Worldwide contracted Leland and Bailey to write a book on service. The result was Customer Service for Dummies (1996), which sold over 100,000 copies within its first six months of publication. In addition to U.S. distribution, the book has been translated into numerous foreign languages, and is available throughout the world.

Karen and Keith formed the International Association of Quality Service, which has over 1,000 charter members. The purpose of the association is to promote the principles and ideas of quality service throughout business worldwide.

Recently, Leland and Bailey completed a five-year study that involved interviews with over 20,000 staff managers from a dozen multinational corporations. It is research such as this, combined with an interactive style, that has given Karen Leland a reputation for presentations that are motivating and relevant to business executives, managers, sales people and service staff.