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The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleWhen terrorists attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, employees of the Taj Mumbai hotel displayed uncommon valor. They placed the safety of guests... -
The Four Things a Service Business Must Get Right
Customer service Magazine ArticleExtensive study of the world’s best service companies reveals the principles on which they’re built. -
Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleThe notion that companies must go above and beyond in their customer service activities is so entrenched that managers rarely examine it. But a study... -
Quality Is More Than Making a Good Product
Customer service Magazine ArticleCorporate executives and consumers have in recent years adopted divergent views of product quality. Several recent surveys indicate how wide the quality perception gap is: Three out of five chief executives of the country’s largest 1,300 companies said in a 1981 survey that quality is improving; only 13% said it is declining.1 Yet 49% of […] -
The Value of Keeping the Right Customers
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleA refresher on customer churn rate. -
Do Rewards Really Create Loyalty?
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleAlthough reviled in the business press as short-term fads, rewards programs are gaining popularity. Rewards can and do build customer loyalty. Unfortunately,... -
Using Technology to Create a Better Customer Experience
Customer experience Digital ArticleYour strategy should be driven by relationship-building — not shiny new tech. -
Net Promoter 3.0
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleSince its introduction, in 2003, the Net Promoter System, which measures how consistently brands turn customers into advocates, has become the predominant... -
How to Apologize to a Customer When Something Goes Wrong
Business communication Digital ArticleA thoughtful message can make the difference between a lost customer and a loyal one. -
10 Ways to Boost Customer Satisfaction
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleTakeaways from an analysis of millions of consumer data points. -
Know What Your Customers Want Before They Do
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleShoppers once relied on familiar salespeople to help them find exactly what they wanted--and sometimes to suggest additional items they hadn't even thought... -
Where Does the Customer Fit in a Service Operation?
Organizational restructuring Magazine ArticleWhile management skills can improve service systems, a manager is better off if he or she first has a clear understanding of the operating characteristics that set one service system apart from another. This author offers one view of services, which, if followed, results in a “rational approach to the rationalization” of services. His view, […] -
Silo Busting: How to Execute on the Promise of Customer Focus
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleFor many senior executives, shifting from selling products to selling solutions--packages of products and services--is a priority in today's increasingly... -
How Loyalty Programs Are Saving Airlines
Customer service Digital ArticleThe pandemic has cast a spotlight on a historically undervalued asset. -
High-Tech Touchpoints Are Changing Customer Experience
Customer experience Digital ArticleAs technology becomes more powerful and affordable, your company is only limited by its imagination. -
"Sorry" Is Not Enough
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleThe first rule of customer service--when something goes wrong, apologize--can backfire. New research based, uniquely, on videos of actual customer interactions... -
When to Offer Fewer Customer Service Channels
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleQuality is more important than quantity. -
Think Customers Hate Waiting? Not So Fast...
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleManagers typically look for ways to reduce wait time to increase customer satisfaction. New research suggests there's a better approach: showing customers... -
Frontline Work When Everyone Is Angry
Global Business Big IdeaIt probably won't surprise you to learn that incivility on the front lines of business is on the rise. After all, as the pandemic wore on, we saw in real... -
How to Make Onshoring Work
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticleIn recent years IT professionals have been onshoring service work to low-cost American or European cities. But this can be problematic because of labor...
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Building Brand Community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride, Video (Streaming)
Sales & Marketing Case Study20.00View Details Contains an ethnographic account of the 10-day, 2,300 mile Border to Border Posse Ride. Allows the viewer to experience the Posse Ride through the eyes... -
BAT Case: Putting Tech Support on the Fast Track
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Bruce-Alfred Technologies (BAT) has built a successful business selling packaged software. Its marketing has long promised free technical support to all... -
Customer-Introduced Variability in Service Operations
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Presents a typology of customer-introduced variability and offers guidance on how to manage each type. Central to the ideas developed is how to mitigate... -
MK Taxi: Private Chauffeur Service
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details MK Taxi Tokyo has developed a system to allow customers to use their mobile phones to find and contact the cab closest to them, bypassing the dispatch... -
Building Brand Community on the Harley-Davidson Posse Ride
Sales & Marketing Case Study14.00View Details The second Harley-Davidson Posse Ride, a grueling 2,300 mile, 10-day trek from South Padre Island, Tex., to the Canadian Border is billed "for serious... -
The Curious Case of the Disputed Rabbits
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Service systems are inherently subject to variability, whether through customers, service providers, suppliers, or unexpected events. Yet customers demand... -
Customer Focus at Neiman Marcus: "We Report to the Client"
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details Describes the winning formula at Neiman Marcus that has made it the No. 1 luxury retailer in the United States in terms of sales per square foot and profitability.... -
Willow Creek Community Church (B): Cracks In the Foundation
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Singapore Airlines: Customer Service Innovation
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details The members of Singapore Airlines' (SIA) management committee needs to decide whether to cancel the implementation of the new lie-flat seats in business... -
Federal Express: The Money Back Guarantee (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Discusses a large overnight express company, which guarantees its service, and which has created a major headache for one of its customers. The problem... -
IBM After-Sales Service
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details IBM has established a service delivery system to provide service and maintenance parts for its installed base of computers. The case outlines the competitive... -
The Shangri-La Bosphorus Hotel: Extending the Famed Shangri-La Hospitality to Turkey
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details The case is set in May 11, 2013, when the Shangri-La Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul is inaugurated. The Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is... -
Alibris (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study6.95View Details Alibris is an Internet-era company providing search and fulfillment services for hard-to-find (rare, used, and out-of-print) books. At the time of the... -
Harvard ManageMentor v11: Customer Focus Module
Sales & Marketing Tool99.00View Details A vital orientation tool with value for managers at all levels. Covers the critical components of servicing internal or external customers, with a compelling... -
Chantale and Clinton Call for Service
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details Chantale and Clinton have purchased a new refrigerator from The Canadian, one of the largest department store chains in Canada. It subsequently began... -
The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage
Sales & Marketing BookIn 1999, Joseph Pine and James Gilmore offered this idea to readers as a new way to think about connecting with customers and securing their loyalty.... -
Willow Creek Community Church (C): Rebuilding the Foundation
Technology & Operations Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
Alaska Airlines and Flight 261 (C)
Strategy & Execution Case Study5.00View Details Supplements the (A) case. -
HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details HubSpot, an inbound marketing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM) software provider, announced that it had acquired Motion AI, a software... -
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company: The Quest for Service Excellence
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details The case examines Ritz's processes, leadership, technology, systems, and people as they align to achieve long term goals. In 1992, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel...
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The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleWhen terrorists attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, employees of the Taj Mumbai hotel displayed uncommon valor. They placed the safety of guests... -
The Four Things a Service Business Must Get Right
Customer service Magazine ArticleExtensive study of the world’s best service companies reveals the principles on which they’re built. -
Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleThe notion that companies must go above and beyond in their customer service activities is so entrenched that managers rarely examine it. But a study... -
Quality Is More Than Making a Good Product
Customer service Magazine ArticleCorporate executives and consumers have in recent years adopted divergent views of product quality. Several recent surveys indicate how wide the quality perception gap is: Three out of five chief executives of the country’s largest 1,300 companies said in a 1981 survey that quality is improving; only 13% said it is declining.1 Yet 49% of […] -
The Value of Keeping the Right Customers
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleA refresher on customer churn rate. -
Do Rewards Really Create Loyalty?
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleAlthough reviled in the business press as short-term fads, rewards programs are gaining popularity. Rewards can and do build customer loyalty. Unfortunately,... -
Using Technology to Create a Better Customer Experience
Customer experience Digital ArticleYour strategy should be driven by relationship-building — not shiny new tech. -
Net Promoter 3.0
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleSince its introduction, in 2003, the Net Promoter System, which measures how consistently brands turn customers into advocates, has become the predominant... -
How to Apologize to a Customer When Something Goes Wrong
Business communication Digital ArticleA thoughtful message can make the difference between a lost customer and a loyal one. -
10 Ways to Boost Customer Satisfaction
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleTakeaways from an analysis of millions of consumer data points.