Synopsis:
"Your customers are only satisfied because their expectations are so low and because no one else is doing better. Just having satisfied customers isn't good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans."
This, in a nutshell, is the advice given to a new Area Manager on his first day--in an extraordinary business book that will help everyone, in every kind of organization or business, deliver stunning customer service and achieve miraculous bottom-line results.
Written in the parable style of The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans uses a brilliantly simple and charming story to teach how to define a vision, learn what a customer really wants, institute effective systems, and make Raving Fan Service a constant feature--not just another program of the month.
America is in the midst of a service crisis that has left a wake of disillusioned customers from coast to coast. Raving Fans includes startling new tips and innovative techniques that can help anyone create a revolution in any workplace--and turn their customers into raving, spending fans.
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1. “But sometimes our people might have several customers, both internal and external.”
§ This quote reminds us that employees, owners and management have multiple customers both internally and externally. When I was a marketing coordinator for an architecture firm, part of my job was striking a balance between pleasing the project manager (internal customer) and the business entity who would receive the proposal (external customer).
2. “Here management congratulates us when we do well and helps us when we don’t.”
§ A happy employee makes for a happy customer. I believe it to be true that if an employee doesn’t trust its management, he or she will not buy into the system and will not produce stellar customer service. In the end, it’s extremely detrimental to the company. The customer sees that employee as a reflection of the company, not a standalone individual.
3. “Take note that the secret doesn’t say you have to be perfect.”
§ As soon as I read this statement (as well as the section), it reminded me of a Vince Lombardi quote, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”. In my eyes, the overtone if this book could be summed up (maybe not neatly) in this quote. The 3-D Model isn’t about perfection, but talk of remaining flexible and listening to customer needs and adjusting your vision, speaks to attaining a level of excellence for your company.
4. “Basketball players have systems, but they have to be able to go beyond the system, change the play, when it can help the team and score points.”
§ I found this to be one of the best examples to differentiate ‘systems’ from ‘rules’. As you read the book (at least for me), you tend to go on the journey in the eyes of the area manager…everything doesn’t make sense and usually his response to Charlie was what I was thinking. This section of the book made me think about all the companies that are at the top of their game in their respective industries (i.e., Nike, McDonald’s, and Starbucks) and how they have systems in place to ensure consistency across all outlets. This phrase is when my light bulb turned on and showed me why it’s important for employees to buy into the companies’ vision.
5. “Every day I go to a different store and pump gas for at least an hour to listen to customers”
§ I was most impressed with this statement, largely in part because most owners are so removed from the day to day workings of their business that they forget what it’s like on the front lines. If you don’t know what your employees go through on a daily basis you can’t possibly know what systems need to be in place to continue growth. Also, exposure to the customer is imperative; without it how do you know if their needs or wants have changed.
