Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service is a book written by authors Sheldon Bowles and Ken Blanchard. Originally published in 1993, the book is a business parable aimed at helping business owners understand the importance of customer service. The story follows the journey of a man named Dean, a customer service manager at a large, successful company called Kimbos Corporation. Dean has a problem—the service he’s providing his customers comes up short. But when he meets a consultant named Eliza and her mentor, an old man named Joe, he is soon enlightened to the idea of Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service. Through conversations and encounters with Eliza, Joe and the ever-helpful Mr. Kumar, Dean learns how to create irresistible products and services, delight customers, and build loyalty to transform the customers into raving fans.
The idea of Raving Fans is based on the concept of “internal marketing.” This approach focuses on creating a culture of service inside of an organization, as opposed to employing external strategies like advertising or promotions. The goal is to make sure that everyone in the organization is a customer service champion, rather than just one or two people being responsible. Additionally, Raving Fans encourages business owners to cultivate a customer-centric approach by understanding customers’ needs, exceeding their expectations, and tailoring their products and services accordingly.
The authors use a simple three-step process called “The Abundance Principle” to demonstrate how companies can transform customer service into a customer-centered relationship. First, businesses should begin by treating customers as the most important part of the business. They should establish a customer loyalty program, offer discounts and other incentives in exchange for repeat purchases, and focus on making sure customer experiences are as positive as possible. Second, businesses should create more value for customers by offering them new and better products and services. Finally, businesses should provide extraordinary experiences that build customer loyalty over time. The book provides many tactics for businesses to use to create raving fans, from conducting customer surveys to collecting and analyzing customer feedback.
In conclusion, Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service is an excellent read for any business owner who wants to create customer loyalty and turn customers into raving fans. By focusing on internal customer service fundamentals like customer centricity, value creation, and extraordinary experiences, businesses can create a customer-centric environment to build customer loyalty and increase customer satisfaction. With the tactics and strategies outlined in the book, any business can be well on their way to developing a customer service program that will result in more loyal customers and more referrals.
