Raving Fans : A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service [reissue]

Rating:
Summary: More of the same!
Review: While short and to the point can be good, I found this book to be more of the same. One can only read so many short stories and try to apply them to real life situations. Having recently completed my MBA, I decided to take a break from the standard MBA text; however, I do find those books more meaningful.

I'll stick with Who Moved My Cheese as my recommended business story book.

Rating:
Summary: I'm not raving one bit
Review: I felt compelled to review this book in order to shake off that feeling of intellectual abuse I got when I finished reading it. As with so many 'it's so easy to change' manuals many of us do not approach these literary equivalents of junk food by ourselves. Managers,supervisors and gurus find in such books the justification for their positions and like the faithful at the temple mount they really believe things are so simplistic and people so gullible.
Raving fans is what all customers should be is the general thesis of this book. if you go out of your way to provide exceptional service customers will want to come back to your store. Somehow golf gets thrown into this groundbreaking revelation - I thought that the author Kenneth Blanchard was going to announce that he received this message from GOd in 5 tablets. Of course as with all thse guides nothing is mentioned to the employer about the possibility that service does not improve all by itself and that a good salary and working conditions may induce a more positive work attitude. Certainly, many managers may even get more out of their staff if they avoid giving them books like these to read, or worse sending them to the seminar. A One star rating is one too many.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking information in a fun setting
Review: I thought this book was wonderful! I purchased it as suggested reading from the FISH! Philosophy and couldn't put it down. The book is a quick read and the examples he uses are simple and easy to understand. I think anyone who is interesting in improving their customer service would learn quite a lot from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Raving Fans is OK
Review: Blanchard and Bowles have done another bang-up job with Raving Fans. Like their other book, Gung Ho!, Raving Fans is easy to read and is a good resource for anyone concerned with their organization's customer service. However, in my opinion, it's not a "must buy".

Rating:
Summary: How Can You Resist?
Review: Written like Zapp, Raving Fans presents an important lesson in a very simple format. This business novelette points out an important lesson for anyone interested in keeping their customers. Unless your customers rave about your service, they are likely to be poached by an aggressive competitor. If you are willing to ask yourself the hard questions posed by Blanchard, you will likely find your services falling short of the mark. Books like this that raise just a few important points are perfect reads for those with more issues than time and who need to focus on action. Just like the One Minute Manager, quick actions suggestion by this alegory can be put to use immediately for valuable impact.

Rating:
Summary: The BEST place to start
Review: If you work in, run or are starting a customer call center, this is the BEST book to read! It has brought our team an amazing up lift and everyone comes to work and works like the company is theirs! You must read the book!

Rating:
Summary: Business Owner
Review: The book read like a kids book. It had good information but it was displayed in a way that turned me off. I would ask someone who has read it to summarize it in 1 minute instead of buying the book.

Rating:
Summary: Priceless resource!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a Raving Fan!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: STOP!!
Review: I am actually at work right now, listening to this tape! This has to be joke, It sounds like the Muppets guide to customer service. We are sales people not children. I do not recomend this selection to anyone over the age of ten.