Customer Culture: How Fedex and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day [Hardcover]

Michael D. Basch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2002 | Series: Financial Times (Prentice Hall)

Everyone talks about creating a "customer-centered culture." In CustomerCulture, the executive who pioneered FedEx's legendary customer culture shows exactly how to go beyond talk and make it happen -- for real! Michael Basch identifies the key cultural obstacles and leadership failures that dilute customer focus, and demonstrates how to build systems and structures that help good people deliver great customer service. Drawing on lessons learned at FedEx -- and at companies ranging from UPS to Cisco to the newest startups -- Basch shows how to inculcuate customer-focused cultures with the vision, values, goals, relevance, feedback, and actions required to succeed. Step by step, he identifies the crucial decisions companies must make -- and the hard work they can't avoid -- if they're going to "walk the walk" instead of just talking a good game about customer focus. Endorsed by Fred Smith, the principal founder of FedEx, and current CEO. For every executive, manager, and business strategist.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Basch has captured in CustomerCulture the casual factors as to why certain companies excel in customerloyalty while others constantly struggle." -- Jim Barksdale, former CEO of Netscape

"Basch was a key memeber ofthe early FedEx team that instilled dedication to customer service that revolutionized the transportation industry." -- Frederick W. Smith, Founder and CEO, FedEx

"Creating raving fan customers is the only way to go... CustomerCulture will teach you how to do that every day." -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor

"Pray you read this book before your competition does!" -- Jay Abraham, author of

From the Back Cover

Customers. By now, you know how important they are. So do your competitors. But most companies simply haven't delivered on the promise of customer focus. That gives you an immense opportunity—if only you can grab it. CustomerCulture shows you how.

Author Michael Basch created FedEx's legendary sales and service organization, founded its Business Logistics Division, and built its $100 million SuperHub. Since then, companies worldwide have called upon his unparalleled insight into customer service. Now, he's distilled that insight into a hands-on roadmap for every company, regardless of size or industry.

No more lectures. No more "happy talk." No more mission statements. This is a detailed, start-to-finish plan for building a customer-centric culture—and systems that let good people deliver outstanding service.

Talk won't do the job—it will take hard work, and the specific techniques, solutions, and insights you'll find in only one place: CustomerCulture.

* Good people + great systems = extraordinary results

Why great systems are your #1 customer differentiator-and how to build them

* Real examples, real solutions, real life

Specific case studies and techniques from one of the world's leading customer service experts

* The six elements of a winning customer culture

Vision, values, goals, relevance, feedback, and actions

* Inculcating and strengthening a customer-centric business culture

Beyond meaningless "happy talk" and mission statements

* Why customer systems fail, and how to fix them

Identifying systemic causes, ensuring goal clarity, and maximizing feedback

* Moving your business up the value curve

Meeting customer needs that transcend "mere" products and services

Customer focus: Beyond "happy talk"... to action!

• "Walking the walk": ensuring performance and accountability, from the corner office to the front lines
• Building customer-focused systems that ensure urgency, focus, and reward
• Avoiding "customer cancer": organizational systems run amuck
• Vision, values, goals, relevance, feedback-but above all, action
• Endorsed by Fred Smith, Founder and CEO of FedEx

Everyone talks about creating a "customer-centered culture." In CustomerCulture, the executive who pioneered FedEx's legendary customer culture shows exactly how to go beyond talk and make it happen-for real! Michael Basch identifies the key cultural obstacles and leadership failures that dilute customer focus, and demonstrates exactly how to build systems and structures that help good people deliver outstanding customer service.

Drawing on lessons learned at FedEx—and at companies ranging from UPS to Cisco to the newest startups-Basch shows how to inculcate customer-focused cultures with the vision, values, goals, relevance, feedback, and actions needed to succeed. Step by step, he identifies the crucial decisions companies must make—and the hard work they can't avoid if they're going to "walk the walk" instead of just talking a good game about customer focus.

"Mike Basch was a key member of the early FedEx team that instilled the extreme dedication to customer service which revolutionized the transportation industry."

—Fred Smith,
Founder and Chairman,
FedEx

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1st edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130353310
• ISBN-13: 978-0130353313
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly readable/ Great Gift, August 14, 2002

By 

Carl Hammerdorfer (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Customer Culture: How Fedex and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day (Hardcover)

The great thing about this book is that Mike didn't do that "consultant thing" of over-stuffing hsi book with a bunch of useless graphs, tables and such. He actually tells a story, or several of them. And each of them both entertain and educate.

As the CEO of a new services marketing company, I've gotten an incredible amount of clear and usable advice from this book... that I can apply! Many business books leave you in "quadrant quicksand". When you're building a company, you need solid advice. You need to know what people who've been there before did to solve the common business problems you encounter. You need the comfort of knowing that you're not the first company to struggle with what seem like insurmountable obstacles.

We like this book so much that we use it as a gift for potential new customers. For [the cost]we can give another business person something that he'll get real value out of. Even if they don't become our customer, hopefully they'll profit from Michael Basch's wisdom and improve the way they do business.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitive, Clear, Concise., July 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Customer Culture: How Fedex and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day (Hardcover)

I've really enjoyed this book. It's the best business book I've read in the last year. While the stories that Michael Basch has relayed in this book happened while he was a founding chief executive at FedEx, they are lessons that could be applied to any corporation, small or large in America. The "Wedding Dress" is one of my favorite lessons, but there are countless more.

The sub-title says it all.... "How FedEx and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day". For those companies that don't understand that simple mantra, this book is for them. Indeed, even for those that "got it", this book will remind them why putting the customer first is such a good mantra to follow.

Definitive, clear, concise and easy read. I liked this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great content, but not a good experience., March 24, 2007

By 

David Laws "getbetterservice" (PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Customer Culture: How FedEx and Other Great Companies Put the Customer First Every Day (Paperback)

Before I say anything about the content, I'd like to make a couple of comments about the book itself. For me, books are a tactile pleasure. The weight of the book, the feel of the pages, the texture of the paper. 'The Customer Experience'.

This book - or my copy at least - felt cheap! The paper was thin, one can see type through the pages, the spine does not allow one to fully open the book without damaging it. And the printing itself was faded and 'weak'. Now that may have been my copy only, but as you can see it certainly made an impression, just not a very good one.

And that's a pity, because the content is really good. It is a true story, it's not some consultant trying to demonstrate how smart they are. It's real and incredibly useful. For those of you who are looking for case studies and actual examples of what delivering a superior customer experience actually looks and feels like, then this book is for you. As a senior member of the early FedEx team the author provides unique insights into building a successful customer focus culture - both the highlights and the lowlights. Seeing success in this areana, in this detail, is rare so it's well worth the read.

For me though, the experience wasn't good.