Real Time: Preparing for the Age of the Never Satistied Customer

From the author of Relationship Marketing comes a provocative book on doing business in a real time world-one in which time and distance vanish, action and response are simultaneous, and customers demand instant gratification...or else. Technology is continually transforming our existence in profound ways; and the pace of change is speeding up, not slowing down: we get cash in seconds at ATMs, we watch wars unfold instantaneously on live television. Almost all technology today compresses to zero the time needed to acquire and use information, to make decisions and initiate actions, to deploy resources and innovate. What does all this mean to the creators and managers who want to lead their organizations successfully in the real time world? Above all, says McKenna, management must be prepared for the eventuality of anything-anytime, anywhere, and in-your-face. The companies best equipped for the twenty-first century are seizing the opportunities that our real time reality presents. Their leaders understand that real time means exceptional responsiveness to customer expectations and ongoing adjustments to deliver. Fresh with stories from McKenna's own experience as entrepreneur and consultant to the world's most influential leaders, Real time will move readers to think in new ways, act with lightning speed, and break sound barriers of innovation. A Business Week Bestseller. "A magnificent tour through an exciting if uncertain future in which everybody's connected to everybody."--The Wall Street Journal "McKenna has written a manifesto for marketers, customer-service employees and managers in general. In an accessible and convincing manner, he explains why--and showshow--corporations must use these technological advancements to compete in today's marketplace."--Publishers Weekly "Real Time has all the ingredients of a successful business book, including a simple yet powerful theme."--Upside "[McKenna's] unique observations on the state of technology, marketing, and customer service could make this book a standard."--Booklist "It's high time a management guru squelched the notion of scientific management, just as quantum physics and chaos theory have eroded the old mechanistic view of science. Real Time does just that..."--Business Week "Regis McKenna [is] a high-tech marketing whiz, star of the business-seminar circuit and author of Relationship Marketing. Now comes Real Time, another up-to-the-minute report from the future's front lines."--Adweek