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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, […] -
How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleBuyers expect the same level of service and flexibility as when they shop in their personal lives. -
How Sales Reps Can Succeed in the Social Era
Customer service Digital ArticleThe best stay attuned to their customers’ signals in the social graph. -
E-Loyalty: Your Secret Weapon on the Web (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleIn the rush to build Internet businesses, many executives mistakenly concentrate all their attention on attracting customers rather than retaining them.... -
Are Your Surveys Worth Your Customers' Time?
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleMy personal e-mail inbox currently holds requests for feedback from twelve different companies: a couple of hotels, two web-based retailers, a credit-card... -
Leading by Letting Go
Customer service Digital ArticleLessons from an American Express exec who threw out the script. -
When to Offer Fewer Customer Service Channels
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleQuality is more important than quantity. -
Should You Bother Using Social Media to Serve Customers?
Customer service Digital Article“I’m telling everyone I know about how rude your customer service people are.” If you were browsing Facebook or Twitter and you saw a comment like this about your company, we’d bet you’d instinctively want to respond to that customer to try to fix the relationship. Comments like these put us on the defensive — […] -
Listen to Your Frontline Employees
Customer experience Digital ArticleA basic prerequisite for business success is to know — really know — your customers. There’s a variety of traditional research methods aimed at better understanding customers: usage analysis, conjoint analysis, cluster analysis, roundtables, panels. But there are a few reasons why traditional research sometimes fails to deliver: 1) Customers don’t always say what is […] -
Engaged Employees Create Better Customer Experiences
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleCompanies should find ways to connect employees and customers regardless of whether "customer service" is in their job description. -
Little Decisions Add Up
Organizational Development Magazine ArticleConsultant Frank Rohde describes a system for evaluating frontline workers' interactions with customers. -
Taking the Measure of Mood
Organizational culture Magazine ArticleThe Inn at Little Washington, in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, is one of America’s most acclaimed restaurants, rated number one in North America by Travel + Leisure magazine and listed among the top ten in the world by the International Herald Tribune. Yet, as co-owner and chef Patrick O’Connell explains, exquisite food is the norm at […] -
Using an Algorithm to Figure Out What Luxury Customers Really Want
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleWho knew they care so much about breakfast? -
Where Do Salespeople Fit in the Digital World?
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleWhen you need a human to close the deal - and when you don't. -
Perfect Message at the Perfect Moment (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleMarketers planning promotional campaigns ask questions to boost the odds that the messages will be accepted: Who should receive each message? What should... -
Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers
Customer experience Magazine ArticleTo really win their loyalty, forget the bells and whistles and just solve their problems. -
Too Far Ahead of the IT Curve? (HBR Case Study and Commentary)
Technology & Operations Magazine ArticlePeachtree Healthcare has major IT infrastructure problems, and CEO Max Berndt is struggling to find the right fix. He can go with a single set of systems... -
How Loyalty Programs Are Saving Airlines
Customer service Digital ArticleThe pandemic has cast a spotlight on a historically undervalued asset. -
How Customers Can Rally Your Troops
Joint ventures Magazine ArticleEnd users can energize your workforce far better than your managers can. -
GenAI Can Help Companies Do More with Customer Feedback
Technology & Operations Digital Article"Voice of the customer" applications - parsing, interpreting, and responding to customer input - are particularly promising.
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State Bank of India: Kohinoor Banjara Branch
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details "State Bank of India: Kohinoor Banjara Branch is a case that documents the development and execution of a novel, high-end branch by a public sector bank... -
Air India: The Image Damage of "Pee-Gate"
Management Case Study11.95View Details This case describes unruly passenger behaviour on National Aviation Company of India Ltd.'s New York-Delhi flight. It elaborates on the airline crew's... -
HNA Group: Moving China's Air Transport Industry in a New Direction
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details HNA Group, the parent company of Hainan Airlines, was positioning itself to go global and make a mark for itself as the largest private airline in China.... -
Too Long for Comfort: Tackling Consultation Wait Time at a Hospital Emergency Department
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In early 2019, Alan Jay, an executive in the Quality, Safety and Risk Management (QSRM) department of Gloria Hospital, a full-service hospital that specialised... -
Wawa Inc.
Finance & Accounting Case Study11.95View Details Retailing requires attention to detail and customer and employee loyalty. Wawa is a 50-year old food retailer with almost a cult-like following. With... -
Onefinestay: Building a Luxury Experience in the Sharing Economy
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details Miranda Cresswell, marketing director, and Greg Marsh, founder and CEO of onefinestay, were grappling with branding and positioning dilemmas. onefinestay... -
Zappos.com 2009: Clothing, Customer Service, and Company Culture
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details On July 17, 2009, Zappos.com, a privately-held online retailer of shoes, clothing, and other soft-line retail categories, learned that Amazon.com, a $19... -
Customer Focus at Neiman Marcus: "We Report to the Client"
Strategy & Execution Case Study11.95View 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.... -
Call Center Design for Lion Financial Services
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Andy Carr, the founder of a small consulting firm that specializes in telephone call-centers, is completing an analysis of call center operations for... -
RKO Warner Video, Inc.: Incentive Compensation Plan
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details Details the design and implementation of an incentive bonus plan for video store managers. The problem for top management of the chain is to induce the... -
Marble Slab Creamery: The Weighing Decision
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details A current franchisee of Marble Slab Creamery (producer of the self-proclaimed "Freshest Ice Cream on Earth") was set to open his second location in Waterloo,... -
QuikTrip
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details QuikTrip, a large convenience store chain with over 500 stores, was known for its outstanding labor practices and fast, reliable, and friendly customer... -
Managing a Global Team: Greg James at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (A)
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details Greg James, a global manager at Sun Microsystems, Inc., sets out to meet with his entire 43-member customer implementation team spread across India, France,... -
Pharmacy Service Improvement at CVS (A)
Technology & Operations Case Study11.95View Details CVS's retail pharmacy operations are functioning poorly and dissatisfying customers. Many customers are defecting as a result. A pharmacy service improvement... -
Charles Schwab Corp.: Introducing a New Brand
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details As the financial services industry converges, how should Charles Schwab, widely known as a discount brokerage firm, position its brand? This case presents... -
Grand Circle Travel: Where Risk Comes with the Territory
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study11.95View Details A worldwide travel company is intrinsically exposed to risks of natural and man-made disasters. How do you organize a business for success when it must... -
Personal Shoppers at Sears: The Elf Initiative
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details The senior vice-president of Corporate Store Sales, Sears Canada (Sears), was reviewing a new retailing initiative scheduled to launch within a month... -
Dupont (A): Understanding the Customer's Activity Cycle
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details For Jim Carr, marketing manager, Europe, for DuPont's Carpet Fibre Division, there was no alternative: to maintain its European preeminence, the company... -
Michelin Group: Embracing Culture While Adapting to Change
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details SM-315 Michelin Group is told from the perspective of Florent Menegaux, COO of Michelin, and other senior leaders at the company. Michelin had recently... -
Comfort Class Transport: Does Customer Service Need an Overhaul?
Technology & Operations Case Study8.95View Details The general manager of a chauffeured limousine transport company is concerned about underperformance at the company's customer service call center. The...
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State Bank of India: Kohinoor Banjara Branch
Sales & Marketing Case Study11.95View Details "State Bank of India: Kohinoor Banjara Branch is a case that documents the development and execution of a novel, high-end branch by a public sector bank... -
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, […] -
How B2B Businesses Can Get Omnichannel Sales Right
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleBuyers expect the same level of service and flexibility as when they shop in their personal lives. -
How Sales Reps Can Succeed in the Social Era
Customer service Digital ArticleThe best stay attuned to their customers’ signals in the social graph. - SPONSORED CONTENT FROM SAP
The New Path to Customer Engagement: Real-time Analytics
Customer service ResearchBriefing Paper Sponsored by SAP -
Air India: The Image Damage of "Pee-Gate"
Management Case Study11.95View Details This case describes unruly passenger behaviour on National Aviation Company of India Ltd.'s New York-Delhi flight. It elaborates on the airline crew's... -
E-Loyalty: Your Secret Weapon on the Web (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)
Sales & Marketing Magazine ArticleIn the rush to build Internet businesses, many executives mistakenly concentrate all their attention on attracting customers rather than retaining them.... -
HNA Group: Moving China's Air Transport Industry in a New Direction
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details HNA Group, the parent company of Hainan Airlines, was positioning itself to go global and make a mark for itself as the largest private airline in China.... -
Too Long for Comfort: Tackling Consultation Wait Time at a Hospital Emergency Department
Leadership & Managing People Case Study11.95View Details In early 2019, Alan Jay, an executive in the Quality, Safety and Risk Management (QSRM) department of Gloria Hospital, a full-service hospital that specialised... -
Are Your Surveys Worth Your Customers' Time?
Sales & Marketing Digital ArticleMy personal e-mail inbox currently holds requests for feedback from twelve different companies: a couple of hotels, two web-based retailers, a credit-card...