Book Review: The Only Thing That Matters

I’m over due for a book review. Not too long time ago I read “The Only Thing That Matters” by Karl Albrecht. The book was written 1992 and is still highly relevant.

It is the best book I have read on customer service. What I found the best about the book is that Albrecht is not afraid of looking at the reality and state so many businesses are in today. In most businesses the customer is the least priority.

He talks about becoming a new organization, “a new customer-centered culture”. In doing so he point out that it is not hard to rank companies in terms how focus they are on customer service. He calls them dimensions. His evaluation steps are (I will partly quote here from the book):

Dimension #1: Going out of business. He says that these are companies that have not figured out the basis. One such thing is the income and expense statement. That is in, “delivering a service experience that attracts enough customers and enough income to stay afloat.” I know exactly what this looks like, because I worked for a company that I would classify in this dimension for almost two years. These are companies that are on their way to bankruptcy.

Dimension #2: Dogged pursuit of mediocrity. “These are the companies that somehow manage to survive, almost in spite of themselves”. He goes on to say that there is no commitment to quality customer service.

Dimension #3: Present and account for. “These organizations are doing OK, but operate with no particular inspiration or drive for excellence.” He says they get their “natural market share” just for showing up.

Dimension #4: Making a serious effort. “This is sometimes a transition stage and other times the high water mark beyond which some never progress.” He says you will most likely find a shared determination on customer service efforts.

Dimension #5: Service as an art form. “The few organizations at this level dominate their industries and are recognized even by their competitors as being outstanding.” He says that they got the right definition on customers in terms of delivering value.

I recently wrote about FedEx (Fred Smith on the Road). I would say that FedEx is a dimension #5 company.

This book is a good mix of business theory and practical advice. This book has already become a reference book for me as I continue my career in the business world. I highly recommend it!

Toastmaster and a coach

I’ve been working at improving my public speaking skills over the last year at Toastmasters. It is a very effective way to learn by practicing. One of the things I have learned is that it takes much more to be an effective speaker than just deliver a speech. Writing a speech and practicing are very time consuming. I can easily tell already when someone delivers a speech where no thought was given to prep work.

I recently participated in a speech contest and came in second place. So I still continue to work on the speech to improve and also had someone from the club coach me. It is a rewarding experience. I used to think I would be a public speaker one day but now I’m not so sure anymore. Regardless, developing the skill of becoming a more effective communicator will help in many other areas.

Tonight I’m delivering a speech again for practice. Having a coach is especially helpful (thanks Mary). I just decided to also start with a coach for personal training for the summer. It should be great!

Fred Smith on the Road

I haven’t posted in over a month. This is the longest time I have not posted since I started this blog. I guess it is not good for gaining readership.

Recently I went on a road trip to Texas to visit friends and family. On my way I was inspired by “Fred Smith on the Road”. Ok, not Fred Smith (Founder of FedEx) himself, but all the FedEx trucks and delivery vehicles I pasted while driving. Comparing to any other major trucking company (even UPS) FedEx by far outnumbered all of them. Literally every 5-10 minutes I would see one.

What was great is the consistency in that all trucks were painted the same color, unlike UPS and other companies.

I believe that consistency will be a major factor in the success of a business. To be consistent in business practices will required exceptional leadership. FedEx is lead by great leaders. It is evident in many ways.

After getting home I read on the success of Fred Smith and FedEx. It is an inspirational story. One video I watched from Fred Smith be says that he doesn’t believe in reading and following all the latest leadership trends and books but to simply read biographies of outstanding individuals. He did suggest reading Peter Drucker. I plan on reading his books in the near future.

In the next while I will write small blog posts on what I have learned over the last few years in the business world.