Have you read the book? Ken Branchard is one of my go-to authors when it comes to self-help business and personal advice. It’s 13 bucks on Amazon right now. I try to apply his principals to everyday life. In fact, my family has now grown weary of my annoying commentary of customer service received when we hit the streets (they throw one of my trademark Dad sayings right back at me: “you can take him anywhere but out”). “Raving Fans” is a quick and easy read – with large print for those needing longer arms or stronger reading glasses.

So much for the unpaid commercial…Ken, call me – I would help sell books when times get slow for ya.

A true friend and confidant at a previous employment loaned me Ken’s book one day – I trust she was thinking I did not need it, just figured I would enjoy the read…and I did…and I try to employ Raving Fan service whenever possible. Even without the family along, I sometimes find myself in a personal dialogue about the customer service I receive. It definitely causes some odd looks from the gallery, and those knowingly or unknowingly exercising the Raving Fans service will usually give me some kind of attention.

It’s time to gritch for a change. Here are some personal examples in need of Raving Fans service – and I going to mention names (oh no!):

Much to my FD and FS’s dismay, I still frequent the drive through windows at some of the finer eateries around town. One of my pet peeves is when some lazy, ah, individual, yeah – individual places an order at the squawk box for the entire office “I’ll take 22 sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits and one iced tea, easy on the ice and twelve packets of Sweet-n-low”. Or when an individual that obviously knows their way around a drive through kiosk tells the voice “just a minute” as they decide to order the same thing they had yesterday. Ok, I digress. Here I was at Rudy’s BBQ the other morning to order 1 breakfast taco with jalapeno sausage – now that is some good eats. Rudy’s is an order-at-the-window drive through. In front of me in this monster Tahoe that needed a step ladder to gain access was miss soccer mom ordering for the team that apparently did a sleepover at her house. She ordered at least 152 tacos. I wanted just one! So I’m sitting impatiently second in line wondering aloud why she didn’t go inside for this order when out of the restaurant comes this cute young girl in a dirty restaurant t-shirt uniform with a pen and pad in hand. She asks for my order – curb side. I tell her that is Raving Fan service – she says “huh?”. Figuring I had time to explain my reference since Ms. Picante Sauce had tied up the line, she looked at me and interrupted our one-sided conversation with “what do you want?” “Nothing now – I’m just gonna back out of this line”. Damn I had high hopes for her at the start – sorry Ken, if I had a stash of books to pass out at times like these….

Stopping at the local Fast Break/Godfathers Pizza convenience store for a bag of ice, I ask upon entry if they still have ice on this hot Saturday afternoon. I get a delayed reply of “Yeah – in the back”. I discreetly shake my head at the 3 employees sitting on their arse jabbering in their own conversation, making mental note that one thing in particular is an unswept floor. I bring the ice to the counter to purchase and all 3 continue their arse- sitting and conversation. I plunk the ice on the counter and one stands without losing a beat in her friend’s conversation, to ring up the sale. Fingers poised over the cash register, she contributes to the conversation with adamently expressing problems she has with her husband’s kids, her kids, and their kids. I now stand in amazement, curious how long she’s going to ignore a paying customer. Finally she turns to me and says “just one?”. “Nope” I say. “I can get better Raving Fan service across the street at the Allsups”. I walked out leaving the ice on the counter. The employees said nary a word to me until probably after Elvis had left the building. Ken, I’ll bet you a book order those 3 let the ice melt right there on the counter.

Taking a late lunch at the Miguelito’s Tex-Mex restaurant this week, I walk in to a near empty dining room. One waiter nods his head, another gives me the “you’re eating this late” look. I’m thinking already this isn’t going to be good Raving Fan service. 5 minutes into my arrival, I get a menu and I’m asked what I want to drink. 5 more minutes, my iced tea arrives and then enjoy the privledge of placing my taco salad order. Chips and salsa arrive a few minutes later (and that’s just not right making me wait on the best part of the meal). So now I’m into this restaurant for 15 minutes or so, all this time the manager is playing solitaire or something like it on the bar computer. He leaves his “station” and walks the floor, stopping to ask if I need anything. “Yup, I need Raving Fan service in your nearly-empty restaurant”. That guy was completely stumped. He finally mustered an “I’m sorry?” inquiry, which received a something-to-the-effect of “you should be and so am I” response from me. As politely as possible I tried to explain that a late lunch might be a quick lunch especially with a simple taco salad order and no other serving demands on the staff. He agreed my service was perhaps a bit slow and went to the kitchen to check on it. I had my cold lunch within minutes…but it tasted funny and the wait staff had suspicious smurks on their faces. I paid full price and to this minute wonder why I didn’t walk out and go get a breakfast taco at Rudy’s and a bag of ice at Fast Break. Ken, send me some damn books!

I know I sound like a real piece of work with these attitudes. But I see the bottom line as being really quite simply common sense and courtesy. Those two things can go a long way for even those unread “Raving Fans” people regardless of their employment or service industry. I don’t think this is rocket science but Ken seems to be padding a nice retirement on publishing the obvious. Am I expecting too much?

Don’t leave me hanging here – post your own “Raving Fans” (and I do have some of those to share later) or lousy service experiences so we all look like a bunch of Phil Gramm whinners.

tm