Legendary Service
The Key Is To Care
Categories
Business, Nonfiction, Leadership
Content Type
Book
Binding
Kindle Edition
Year
2014
Publisher
McGraw Hill
Language
English
ASIN
B00J4XLILO
File Download
PDF | EPUB
Legendary Service Plot Summary
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why you keep going back to certain businesses time and again, even when there are cheaper or more convenient alternatives available? The answer lies in something remarkably simple yet profoundly impactful: they make you feel cared for. When customers feel valued, they develop loyalty that transcends price considerations and occasional inconveniences. In today's competitive marketplace, providing exceptional customer service isn't just a nice idea—it's essential for survival and growth. The most successful organizations understand that caring for customers creates a powerful competitive advantage that can't be easily replicated. Through the ICARE model presented in these pages, you'll discover how to transform ordinary service interactions into legendary experiences that keep customers coming back. Whether you're a frontline employee or a senior executive, you'll learn practical strategies for creating a culture where service excellence becomes the norm rather than the exception.
Chapter 1: Understand Why Service Matters
At its core, legendary service is about consistently delivering ideal service that keeps customers returning and creates a competitive advantage. This isn't just about being nice—it's about understanding the fundamental connection between service excellence and business success. When organizations demonstrate genuine care for their customers, they build relationships that translate directly to the bottom line. Consider Ferguson's, a discount store chain where Kelsey Young worked while finishing her business degree. The store had a noticeably apathetic approach to customer service. In one revealing incident, Kelsey tried to help a customer return a coffeemaker without a receipt. Despite Kelsey assuring the customer it wouldn't be a problem, her manager refused the return, citing policy. The customer left frustrated, stating, "I feel like I'm just a number around here. Why should I go out of my way to act like I care?" This encounter perfectly illustrated how poor service experiences drive customers away. The contrast became clear when Kelsey encountered truly exceptional service at a small Italian restaurant called Giuseppe's with her grandmother. The owner greeted them by name, remembered their table preference, and the entire staff provided attentive, gracious service. The restaurant consistently had lines of customers waiting, despite the owner having opportunities to expand. Giuseppe understood that his restaurant's legendary service created such loyalty that customers willingly waited rather than going elsewhere. To begin creating legendary service in your organization, start with three simple actions: learn and use your customers' names, talk about something unrelated to the transaction to show interest in them as people, and be genuinely friendly with a sincere smile. These small gestures make customers feel valued and create personal connections that transcend mere transactions. The impact of these simple actions is immediate and powerful. When Kelsey implemented these practices at Ferguson's, customers specifically commented on her service, with one writing a letter to management praising how she "turned my shopping trip from something I was dreading into a fun and enjoyable experience." More importantly, Kelsey discovered that focusing on creating positive customer experiences made her enjoy her job more. Remember that legendary service starts with caring. When you genuinely care about your customers and demonstrate it through your actions, you create experiences they want to repeat and tell others about. Service excellence isn't complicated, but it does require intentionality and a willingness to put relationships first.
Chapter 2: Create a Vision for Ideal Service
Ideal service is meeting customer needs daily by acting on the belief that service is important. This isn't something that happens by accident—it requires a clear vision that guides every interaction and decision. When organizations define what ideal service looks like for their customers, they create a standard that inspires and aligns everyone's efforts. Kelsey experienced this principle in action when helping a customer named Tom who was shopping for a vacuum cleaner as a birthday gift for his wife. Initially, Kelsey was conflicted—she knew this wasn't a gift most women would appreciate, but she also wanted to make a sale. Remembering the principle of ideal service, she realized her job wasn't about the transaction but about truly meeting Tom's needs. When Tom directly asked her opinion, Kelsey took a risk and honestly told him she thought his wife would be disappointed with a vacuum cleaner as a birthday gift. Rather than losing a customer, Tom appreciated her honesty and said, "I knew it! My brother told me it was a good idea, and I never agree with him on anything! I'm really glad you were honest with me." Tom ended up purchasing a crystal vase and jewelry instead—items his wife would genuinely appreciate. This interaction left a lasting positive impression, proving that ideal service sometimes means putting the customer's true needs ahead of making an easy sale. Creating a vision for ideal service in your organization starts with asking what you want your customers to know and feel after interacting with you. For most successful businesses, the answer is simple: customers should know you care about them and want them to come back. This requires defining specific behaviors and standards that reflect your commitment to exceptional service. The Move Right Physical Therapy Clinic exemplified this with their service vision: "To treat our patients as family and nurture them back to health." This vision guided every aspect of their practice, from how they greeted patients to remembering personal details like Kelsey's grandmother's birthday. Their attentiveness made patients feel valued and cared for, which accelerated healing and created fierce loyalty. To create your own service vision, identify what makes your organization unique and how you can best serve your specific customers. Make sure your vision is memorable, actionable, and shared widely throughout your organization. Then measure your service against this standard daily, asking: "Did my actions today reflect our commitment to ideal service?"
Chapter 3: Build a Culture that Values Service
A true culture of service only exists by intention—by creating an environment that focuses on serving the customer and holding everyone accountable for carrying out the service vision. This culture begins with leadership buy-in and extends through every level of the organization, becoming part of its DNA rather than just a program or initiative. Dan Murray, vice president of operations for ShopSmart, explained this concept to Kelsey's customer service class: "An organization's culture is made up of many things—people, history, vision, values, reputation, significant events, and even annual celebrations. Some of these things are deliberately cultivated, and others arise naturally. But a Culture of Service can exist only by intention." Dan outlined three essential components: senior management support, all employees trained in service excellence, and a sustainability plan that includes follow-up activities and methods to measure progress. This lesson came to life when Kelsey visited a baseball park with her grandmother and Iris, the owner of the physical therapy clinic. The park's service culture was immediately evident through a large sign that read "We're in the Business of Creating Major League Memories." Reggie Aldersen, the head of operations, explained how they established this culture: "When the park opened five years ago, we wanted to make sure everyone in the stadium—employees and visitors—understood our service vision and values. We put all our people through customer service training, invited their best thoughts, and even launched an internal website where we could continue to capture their feedback and celebrate their successes." To build a service culture in your organization, start by clearly defining and communicating your service vision and values. At the baseball park, they had rank-ordered values displayed prominently: Safety, Service, Fun, and Success. This ranking helped employees make decisions when values came into potential conflict—they knew safety always came first, even before service. Ensure that leaders model the behaviors they expect from employees. When Kelsey's department manager Steven started acknowledging team members' service efforts, their attitudes improved dramatically. Create systems to recognize and reward excellent service, such as sharing customer compliment letters during team meetings. Training is essential but insufficient alone. Establish a sustainability plan with regular reinforcement activities and methods to measure progress. The baseball park received 7,500 emails and letters from fans praising their service in their first summer—tangible evidence their culture was working. Remember that culture transformation takes time and consistent effort, but the competitive advantage it creates is worth the investment.
Chapter 4: Listen and Respond to Customer Needs
Attentiveness means knowing your customers and their preferences, while responsiveness means demonstrating a genuine willingness to serve others as you fulfill their individual needs. These complementary skills form the foundation of meaningful customer relationships and allow you to tailor your service approach to each person you serve. At the Move Right clinic, Iris demonstrated perfect attentiveness during Kelsey's grandmother's therapy session. She spent the first ten minutes asking questions and listening intently, even taking notes as Grandma Kate explained how her wrist felt compared to previous weeks. Iris showed remarkable patience, focusing completely on understanding her patient's experience. This attentive listening allowed her to modify the treatment plan appropriately, leading Grandma Kate to comment, "I really appreciate your listening to my concerns. And I love how you never treat me like an old lady. I feel as if I'm your partner in getting my wrist back in working order." This approach contrasted sharply with Kelsey's experience at a pizza place, where she was completely ignored while a manager publicly reprimanded an employee. Neither apologized for making her wait with cooling pizza in hand, creating an uncomfortable experience she wouldn't forget. The difference between these interactions demonstrates how attentiveness shapes customer perceptions. To become more attentive to your customers, start by identifying the different types of customers you serve and their specific preferences. Create customer profiles that help you understand what each segment values most. The clinic exemplified this by remembering Grandma Kate preferred to be called Kate rather than Mrs. Wilson, serving tea in china cups rather than disposable ones, and sending her a birthday card—all small details that made her feel valued. Active listening is the cornerstone of responsiveness. When customers share concerns, give them your full attention, make eye contact, and acknowledge their feelings. Ask open-ended questions to gain a better understanding of their situation. Remember that unhappy customers primarily want to feel heard and have their issues resolved quickly. Research shows that if you kindly resolve a problem on the spot, 95 percent of unhappy customers will do business with you again. Rob, Kelsey's coworker, demonstrated perfect responsiveness when helping a customer disappointed about a price-matching policy change. Instead of just apologizing, he asked clarifying questions about the competitor's pricing structure, helping the customer realize Ferguson's price was actually better when considering the complete package. His knowledge and attentiveness turned a potentially negative interaction into a positive one. Pay attention to both first and last impressions—research shows the final impression often defines the entire customer experience. End each interaction on a positive note, ensuring customers leave feeling valued and satisfied.
Chapter 5: Empowerment Your Team to Take Action
Empowerment means taking the initiative to implement the service vision, even when faced with challenges or obstacles. When employees feel empowered, they can solve problems immediately, create memorable experiences for customers, and contribute to a positive service culture throughout the organization. Kelsey witnessed the power of empowerment when visiting a baseball game with her grandmother. After receiving beef instead of chicken in their taco salads, Kelsey was reluctant to complain, but her friend Alex encouraged her to speak up. When Kelsey politely explained the mistake, the food service worker immediately apologized, quickly replaced their order, and included complimentary chips and guacamole. This empowered employee didn't need manager approval to make things right—he simply took initiative to solve the problem and exceed expectations. The contrast became clear when Kelsey compared the leadership styles of two vice presidents with the same title. Mr. Glatch from Ferguson's was stern and threatening, telling employees, "We can't afford to lose one customer to the competition—not one customer." His approach made employees feel powerless and unappreciated. Meanwhile, Dan Murray from ShopSmart created an environment where employees felt valued and empowered to make decisions that benefited customers. To foster empowerment in your organization, start by identifying areas where frontline employees can make decisions without manager approval. Establish clear boundaries while giving people latitude to solve problems creatively. The baseball park empowered food service workers to offer complimentary items when mistakes occurred, allowing them to resolve issues immediately and leave customers with positive impressions. Leaders play a crucial role in creating an empowered environment. Steven, Kelsey's manager, demonstrated this by recognizing her potential and giving her opportunities to implement her ideas about service improvement. When leadership changed at Ferguson's, Steven was promoted to store manager and offered Kelsey his previous position, saying, "You've been the one coming to me with suggestions and ideas on how to improve what we do around here. You really care." Empowerment works both ways—individuals must also take initiative rather than waiting for permission. Kelsey initially felt stuck at Ferguson's but learned she could influence positive change by applying service principles in her own interactions. Her initiative ultimately led to her promotion and the opportunity to lead a Legendary Service Culture team across the organization. Remember that empowerment requires trust, clear communication, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. When employees feel trusted to make decisions and supported when they take risks, they become more engaged, passionate about their work, and committed to creating legendary service experiences.
Chapter 6: Measure Success Through Customer Loyalty
True success in service isn't measured by transactions or even satisfaction scores—it's measured by customer loyalty that drives long-term business results. When customers feel so valued that they return repeatedly and recommend your business to others, you've achieved the ultimate competitive edge: a loyal customer base that becomes part of your sales force. Kelsey witnessed this principle in action at Giuseppe's restaurant, where her grandmother was a regular customer. Despite being a small establishment, Giuseppe's consistently had lines of customers waiting outside. The owner had considered expanding but decided not to risk losing the family atmosphere and service reputation he had built over years. His decision proved wise—the restaurant's legendary service created such loyalty that customers willingly waited rather than going elsewhere. This contrasted sharply with Ferguson's initial approach, where senior managers focused exclusively on increasing revenue and cutting costs, failing to understand the connection between service and financial success. When Dan Murray became CEO, he shifted the focus: "We're going to make this location the flagship store for our new service culture initiative." Within six months of implementing this approach, Ferguson's numbers began to improve immediately, with market share eventually surpassing that of ShopSmart. To effectively measure service success, look beyond traditional metrics like transaction volume or revenue. Track repeat business, referrals, and the specific feedback customers provide about their experiences. At the baseball park, they received 7,500 emails and letters from fans in their first summer—tangible evidence their service culture was creating memorable experiences that customers wanted to share. Listen carefully to what customers say about your service, both formally through surveys and informally through conversations. The Legendary Service Culture teams at Ferguson's made gathering and responding to customer feedback a central part of their mission, reporting progress in weekly meetings and sharing positive comments with department managers. Remember that employee satisfaction directly correlates with customer loyalty. When Ferguson's began treating employees as internal customers—recognizing their contributions and empowering them to make decisions—service improved dramatically, and customer complaints decreased. As Professor Hartley explained, "If leaders take care of their people, the people will take care of the customers, and the customers will want to come back." The ultimate measure of service success is when customers become advocates who actively promote your business. When Dan Murray announced the new service vision at Ferguson's—"To Provide Genuine Value and Caring Service to Every Customer, Every Day"—it wasn't just words on a plaque. It became a commitment that transformed the organization and created the competitive edge necessary to thrive against strong competition.
Chapter 7: Sustain Your Service Excellence
Creating legendary service isn't a one-time achievement but an ongoing commitment that requires systems, leadership, and dedication to maintain over time. The challenge with any cultural transformation is sustaining momentum after the initial excitement fades. Ferguson's approached this challenge by establishing Legendary Service Culture (LSC) teams in every store. As Kelsey explained, "Each store's LSC team will have a representative from each department who is responsible for going to the weekly LSC team meetings and taking information back to their department manager. The department manager would follow through with the Legendary Service and ICARE model training for associates during their weekly department meetings." This structure ensured that service remained a priority and that best practices were shared across the organization. Dan Murray understood that sustainability required more than just training—it needed senior management commitment, ongoing reinforcement, and recognition of success. Six months after Kelsey was promoted to department manager, Dan and Steven surprised her with a plaque recognizing her as "Ferguson's Legendary Service Culture Champion Extraordinaire." This public acknowledgment reinforced the importance of service excellence throughout the organization. To sustain service excellence in your organization, incorporate the ICARE model into your daily operations: Ideal Service (acting on the belief that service matters), Culture of Service (fostering an environment focused on serving customers), Attentiveness (knowing your customers and their preferences), Responsiveness (demonstrating willingness to fulfill individual needs), and Empowerment (taking initiative to implement the service vision). Create regular opportunities to celebrate service successes and share customer feedback. The baseball park had an internal website where they captured employee feedback and celebrated successes, keeping service top of mind. Ferguson's LSC team meetings included entertaining, hands-on activities that made learning about service enjoyable rather than obligatory. Ensure your service vision remains visible and relevant. Ferguson's posted their vision statement—"To Provide Genuine Value and Caring Service to Every Customer, Every Day"—in the store entry for all employees and customers to see. This constant reminder helped align everyone's efforts toward the same goal. Remember that sustaining service excellence requires continual reinforcement from leadership. Steven mentored Kelsey in her new management role, providing ongoing training and support as she developed her leadership skills. As he told her, "I want to make sure we set you up for success in this position, Kelsey. Managing people is a lot different from being an individual contributor." With consistent effort and commitment, the competitive edge that comes from legendary service becomes part of your organization's identity—not just something you do, but who you are.
Summary
The path to legendary service begins with a simple yet profound realization: caring for customers creates the ultimate competitive advantage. Through the ICARE model—Ideal Service, Culture of Service, Attentiveness, Responsiveness, and Empowerment—organizations can transform ordinary interactions into extraordinary experiences that keep customers coming back. As the story of Ferguson's transformation demonstrates, "If leaders take care of their people, the people will take care of the customers, and the customers will want to come back—which will ensure that the company is profitable." Your journey to service excellence starts today with one small action: show your customers you genuinely care about them. Learn their names, listen attentively to their needs, respond thoughtfully to their concerns, and take initiative to exceed their expectations. Whether you're a frontline employee or a senior executive, remember that everyone has the power to make a difference through service. As Kelsey discovered, when you speak from your heart and treat people with kindness, it always comes back to you—creating not just loyal customers, but also more meaningful work and greater success for your organization.
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Review Summary
Strengths: The book offers a solid concept and provides quality information on developing effective customer service programs. The authors' passion and focus on delivering exceptional service are evident.\nWeaknesses: The book's format, described as a rambling, talkative narrative or story-style, did not appeal to the reviewer. The advice, while sensible, is considered common sense and not groundbreaking.\nOverall Sentiment: Mixed\nKey Takeaway: While the book contains valuable insights on customer service, its narrative style may not suit all readers, and the advice, though practical, may seem like common sense rather than innovative solutions.
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Kenneth H. Blanchard
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Legendary Service
by Kenneth H. Blanchard
Table of Contents
Legendary Service
By Kenneth H. Blanchard
