Raving Fans

View other editions of Raving Fans.
View books by Kenneth H. Blanchard, Sheldon Bowles.

Convincing read about satisfying customers - Rated
I read this book after having read Gung Ho! by the same authors. While not being as good as that book, this is an excellent read about how you make and keep your customers not only satisfied but happy supporters of the services you provide. Like Gung Ho! the book is structured as a story where you follow the protagonist on an enlightening trip around businesses that have one thing in common: they all not only have satisfied customers, they have raving fans of their businesses. You'd better like the storytelling aspect of the book or you might not become a raving fan of the authors... Good, enlightening and entertaining read done in one lazy evening.

Cultism At It's Very Best - Rated
This book has reached cult like status in our office !!! So much so that a cult around it is actually starting to develop !!! This cult exhibits the usual charectaristics of a cult, and of course they seem to love it!!!!!! I'm sure I'll see them on Jeremy Kyle soon though.....either that or CNN.

GREAT MODEL TO APPROACH PERFECTION THROUGH INNOVATION - Rated
In a world of almost no service, RAVING FANS takes the opposite perspective -- that virtually perfect service is worth pursuing. Those who are used to providing and suffering from having no service will find this book impossible to comprehend. I found it inspiring.

A major problem with most books on management processes is that that do too little to focus on how to make large amounts of progress beyond what is now done. RAVING FANS is a big success in providing you with simple instructions for making large strides toward achievable perfection in providing service.

Imagining perfection is a critical first step to improvement, yet most people have never thought about what that could mean. Then testing that perfection with customers (and potential customers) must be done to be sure that there is a valid opportunity, and to be able to understand customers' ideas about achievable perfection. Then attaching the idea of continuous improvement toward that vision is also valuable, and useful.

There are plenty of practical tips about how to do each part in RAVING FANS, which is key to making this book so valuable.

One of the reasons that I enjoy writing reviews about books on-line is that I can find a book like RAVING FANS that agrees so much with my own perspective and research. This book will quickly get you past your Psychology of Disbelief, Bureaucracy, Procrastination, Communiation, and Ugly Duckling stalls. Good for Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles . . . and good for you, too! Even better for your customers!

If you like this book, be sure to go on to read GUNG HO, the second book in the series, which deals with getting employees fired up to produce great service for Raving Fans. The third book in the series, BIG BUCKS!, just came out, and is a worthwhile successor to the first two. I suggest you read all three if you have a business or aspire to have one that provides well for employees, customers, and owners.

A good related book is THE CUSTOMER CENTERED COMPANY by Richard Whiteley.

Customer Service Excellence - Rated
With his book Raving fans, ken Blanchard astounds and shocks a British reader with the standards of customer service which can be provided and the effect which it can have on your customers. A must-read book for anyone who relies on income from customers, and is working in a competitive environment. I have moved my desk into reception, and look forward to greater customer contact and accountability (on my part) and the chance to cater to my customer's needs more effectively, hopefully avoiding the customer who "votes with his feet"! Thanks Ken and Sheldon!

Cannot get enough - Rated
I would only like to add to the comments already here that I think these idea behind these books is just superb: cloak some of the more difficult management topics in the guise of a totally engaging story (isn't that what the world is all about, anyway?) "Gung Ho", another Blanchard parable book, is just as good, and a new one called "Beans" is another example of how powerful these stories can be. I give them to my department now and again and it appears that they are being read and appreciated. "Beans" even has some group discussion questions at the end of the book, which we will be using in an upcoming staff meeting.