Uncommon Service by Frances Frei & Anne Morriss Summary
Overview of Uncommon Service
Revolutionizing customer service from cost center to competitive weapon, "Uncommon Service" reveals why excellence requires strategic trade-offs. Endorsed by franchise leaders alongside Gino Wickman's works, it's the blueprint Harvard Business Review calls essential for turning service into your unfair advantage.
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Key takeaways
The Service Paradox: Why Excellence Requires Strategic Sacrifice
Why is exceptional service so rare in a world dominated by service industries? The answer lies in a counterintuitive truth: you can't be good at everything. Commerce Bank (now TD Bank) built remarkable success by making deliberate choices about where to excel and where to underperform. They hired friendly, enthusiastic people who lacked technical banking skills but delivered exceptional experiences. Their branches stayed open late and on weekends, offered free coin counting, and welcomed dogs with treats. To fund this model, they simplified their product offerings and paid lower deposit rates-sacrificing cross-selling metrics and interest competitiveness to win on customer satisfaction. This pattern appears consistently across successful service organizations. Southwest Airlines excels at low prices and friendly service while deliberately underperforming on network reach and amenities. Walmart sacrifices sales help and ambiance to deliver on low prices and wide selection. Most companies face a choice: try to be good at everything and achieve mediocrity, or make strategic trade-offs to excel where it matters most. The key is identifying what matters most to your target customers and being willing to disappoint them in less important areas. What distinguishes great service companies isn't trying harder-it's making smarter trade-offs that align with customer priorities.
Finding the Money: How to Fund Service Excellence
Designing for Real Humans, Not Superheroes
The Customer as Co-Creator of Service
Culture: The Invisible Engine of Service Excellence
Scaling Excellence: Growing Without Compromise
The Courage to Choose Greatness
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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