Charlie the fairy godmother is the driving force of the plot and the main source of direction when it comes to creating Raving Fans. He is a supernatural figure with a passion for customer service, describing himself as customer service incarnate. Other characters remark on how he’s been in a bad mood about the state of customer service for over a century. He has appeared to and helped multiple people over the years and shared with them the secrets of Raving Fans-level service.

The 2001 edition of Raving Fans includes a dedication to seven customer service experts it refers to as “Charlies.” It also uses the term to describe any influential figure in the field of customer service, and the acknowledgements at the end of the book is titled “Charlie Awards.” This section lists individuals to whom the authors express gratitude, including Hugh Goldie, Chris Hemmeter, Richard Kroft, and Ted Ransby, who receive brief descriptions of their customer service achievements. Top of the list, however, are Richard L. M. “Dick” Dawson and Kerry L. Hawkins, both of whom worked at Cargill Limited, a Canadian company whose management team were eager participants in the development of the Raving Fans system.