Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service

This section centers largely around the third rule, which has two parts. Before the Area Manager can discover this rule, however, he has the previous two rules reaffirmed by a taxi driver, Dennis. In the short drive to meet Charlie, Dennis explains how he both decided what he wanted for his business and learned what his customers needed to have a good experience. For example, he knew that he had to stop complaining; his expectations of having a bad day manifested in a self-fulfilling cycle. He also mentions that he never talks about religion or politics because they’re “two topics that upset customers. Upset customers are not happy customers and unhappy customers are not big tippers” (78). Though expressed humorously, the remark highlights Dennis’s goals: to have happy customers and improve his revenue. He knows what he wants and what the customer wants, thus underscoring The Relationship Between Businesses and Customers. This small, practical demonstration of the two lessons leaves the Area Manager delighted and solidifies his understanding of how the first two secrets create Raving Fans.

At the gas station, the text again illustrates what good service means before having a character explain it to the Area Manager, who is instantly stunned by his positive treatment. This storytelling method aligns with the structure of parables, which use attention-grabbing situations to set up the impending lesson. Only after witnessing some of the things that suit Andrew’s vision do Charlie and the Area Manager go up to visit him.

One of the first things that the Area Manager notices is Andrew’s windows. This recalls Bill’s use of windows as a metaphor to describe how a vision functions: Everything that falls within that window should be perfected. For Andrew, this is literal: He overlooks his crew on the forecourt, where he regularly joins them to help and to stay in touch with his business’s needs, ensuring that things are meeting his standards. Likewise, it is significant that his business focuses on cleaning the customer’s car windows—a symbolic form of clarifying the customer’s “vision,” as outlined in prior sections. These visual metaphors show how abstract lessons can be applied practically to achieve results.

After meeting, Andrew introduces the third secret: “Deliver Plus One” (89). This builds on the idea of satisfying both the business’s vision and the customer’s wants, as Andrew offers a multifaceted approach to how to maintain consistency in both aims. This is where the idea of setting boundaries on a vision reappears. Andrew asserts that knowing one’s limitations and working within them is key to succeeding. He limits what he builds and is consistent, and it allows him to build up key areas fast. He discusses window washing, something that isn’t typically included when refilling a car’s gas, but something that Andrew’s station promises. By forcing his staff to focus first on making only the windshield perfectly clean, he set a high standard that customers were eager to inform him of if unmet, as when a customer drove off without paying and called later to explain: “[He] told us that when we advertised a clean windshield, he felt the price we charged was for both gas and a clean windshield. And he was right” (93). Andrew promised something, and it was unfair to the customer not to fulfill that, even if every other element of the transaction was satisfactory. This clarifies that the secret to making Raving Fans isn’t to under-promise and over-deliver; it’s to keep promises and increase quality and delivery. Regardless of what one promises, though, it’s the consistency that matters.

This emphasis on consistency lays the groundwork for the work’s cautious approach to improvement—The Rule of One Percent. While this hinges on The Importance of Excellent Customer Service, as it aims to improve services, it also encourages goals that improve the team’s experience. Work can grow repetitive and uninspiring without motivation, Andrew suggests, and that boredom informs the service workers provide. At the same time, demanding rapid, dramatic improvement is likely to prove demoralizing to workers, leading to lapses in consistency. Asking staff to improve by just 1% each week allows them to feel satisfied, capable, and hopeful in their roles and thus serves as a way of Empowering and Engaging Employees.

Andrew adds that this applies to all of life, remarking, “You can make big changes in almost anything or achieve great things in life by improving or changing one percent. Things can’t help but improve if you keep at it one percent at a time” (103). The book thus closes with the idea that the lessons learned throughout the Area Manager’s journey hold universal relevance; it’s not only business advice, but also life advice. This has an immediate positive effect on the protagonist, who finally feels confident and inspired enough to make impactful changes in his workplace. The president quickly recognizes his efforts, and he and Charlie can part ways happily.