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83 of 89 found the following review helpful:
 This book saved my company! Jun 10, 1998
I've been a struggling small business owner (some 32 to 38 employees, depending upon the season) thinking my problem was either that I was undercapitalized or that I had hired the wrong people. Raving Fans was a wake up call. The problem was I wasn't creating raving fans. I was satisfied if my customers were satisfied, but I learned in this book that service is so bad that customers expectations are low. It's easy to satisfy low expectations and it doesn't mean very much. You have to create raving fans. Customers who tell others how wonderful you are. Today everyone in my company is focused on customers. Focused on creating stories our customers can tell others. Creating those magic moments the book calls giving symbolic hugs. Best of all Raving Fans gave me the road map to do it, all wrapped up in three easy lessons. This book may be simple, but it is also profound and by far the best customer service book I've ever read, and I guess the best business book too. I'd be out of business today if I hadn't adopted the strategy of creating raving fans and then getting everyone in the company to do the same. The result is we've stopped buring our customer list every six months. We're retaining old customers, adding new ones and sales are way up. Today Raving Fans is required reading for every new hire. Thanks Amazon for this opportunity to write this review. You're the best. I'm your RAVING FAN!Richard Anders
39 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 A fan but not a raving one Jun 26, 2002
Raving Fans is a decent business text and a nice break from some of the more academic titles out there. Like most Ken Blanchard titles, the book is a very easy and quick read. Its value for the time invested is therefore good (but not great). The most important teaching from this book was that you can't settle for simply "satisfied" customers. Service expectations are often so low that people claim to be satisfied when indeed they are not. This leaves you vulnerable to any competitor that merely raises the bar on service. This is not rocket science. Like the rest of the book, the advice given is practical albeit simplistic. Raving Fans suffers from a lack of real-world examples. The fictional stories are handy for getting one to think about creative service ideas. Unfortunately, there is a lack of supporting details to show how these ideas translate to profitability. You can't grab onto these ideas and say to a doubting associate; "Of course this can work. This is just how (insert name of real business here) did it!" If you don't have much time to read about customer service ideas, I would pass on this book and go directly to Carl Sewell's book "Customers for Life". Sewell owns a real business and discusses the real-world issues of increasing customer service levels including compensation incentives, costs, service abuses and bottom line results. I felt that Sewell's book was a much better value for the time invested.
26 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Great for communicating customer service ideals to employees Jun 13, 1998
I'm a dentist, and even though people think I have patients, they are also customers. I and my staff have to deliver exceptional service if I expect them to come back and refer their friends and family to me. The normal dental experience in this world is "well, he didn't hurt me too much." I want people to rave about their dental visits, not just tell the usual "horror stories"! This book has been used in my office as a reading assignment and the subject of staff meetings, in an attempt to comunicate to my staff and have them deliver service that exceeds the patient's expectations. The simple style it's told in really keeps their attention, since most people will not read the more detailed and lengthy books on the market that are similar in substance. Highly recommended for any business person--large or small!
28 of 29 found the following review helpful:
I'm a Raving Fan! Feb 22, 2001
By Jeff Jones
Kenneth Blanchard continues his trend of writing easy-to-read books with BIG ideas for making your business better. Raving Fans is a book of stories relating how fictional companies have created an environment of delivering awesome customer service. A guy that has just been put in a managment position requiring a turnaround goes on a fictional trip with his "angel" to visit businesses that have figured out their vision and their system to deliver customer service extraordinary. Based on three simple principles (Decide, Discover, Deliver), each company has created a group of Raving Fans (not just customers, but fans) who wouldn't consider shopping anywhere else for what one of these companies offers. Within each story is other nuggets of common sense and good ideas that can be implemented in any company that has customers and wants to create fans. We required our store managers to read the book and each created a list ranging from 20-40 points that they can put into effect at their stores to improve customer service. This is a simple, must-read for every business owner and manager.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Priceless resource! Mar 01, 2001
By Rebekah Sue Harris
Ken Blanchard's books were recommended to me by a former employer. Because my position included customer service, I purchased RAVING FANS. The book takes a lighthearted look at the serious subject of customer service. It's easy to follow and contains valuable advice. It was good enough to be recommeneded to a co-worker, who has since gone into business for herself. While reading, I realized what wonderful service I receive from waitresses, my hairdresser, and my mechanic. These people could have read this book from cover to cover. I think that readers will be pleasantly surprised to recognize people in their everyday life who have made their customers into Raving Fans. Unfortunately, the employer who recommended Blanchard to me was not interested in reading the book. He didn't like my implementing Blanchard's suggestions -- despite clients calling and, indeed, RAVING, that the lessons I learned were increasing business. I ultimately left the job, and hope to be able to use he advice in the future.
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