This website uses technical, customisation and analytical cookies, both first-party and third-party, to anonymously facilitate browsing and analyse statistics on use of the website. Learn more
Search results
-
Truth Number 1: You Can't Be Good at Everything--How to Make the Right Trade-Offs to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
Frei, Frances X.; Morriss, AnneBook Chapter HBS-8922BC-EService and Operations ManagementMost companies treat service as a low-priority business operation, keeping it out of the spotlight until a customer complains. Then service gets to make a brief appearance--for as long as it takes to calm the customer down and fix whatever foul-up jeopardized the relationship. In "Uncommon Service," from which this chapter was taken, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss show how, in a volatile economy where the old rules of strategic advantage no longer...Starting at €8.20
-
Begin with Trust
Frei, Frances X.; Morriss, AnneArticle HBS-R2003H-EKnowledge and Communicationauthenticity, logic, and empathy. People tend to trust you when they think they are interacting with the real you (authenticity), when they have faith in your judgment and competence (logic), and when they believe that you care about them (empathy). When trust is lost, it can almost always be traced back to a breakdown in one of these three drivers. This article explains how leaders can identify their weaknesses and strengths on these three dime...Starting at €8.20
-
Stop Holding Yourself Back
Morriss, Anne; Ely, Robin J.; Frei, Frances X.Article HBS-R1101P-ELeadership and People ManagementPeople overemphasize personal goals, protect their public image, turn their competitors into two-dimensional enemies, go it alone instead of soliciting support and advice, and wait for permission to lead. Troy, a customer service manager, endangered his job and his company's reputation by focusing on protecting his position, not helping his team; when a trusted friend advised him to change his behavior, the results were striking. Anita's insiste...Starting at €8.20
-
Customer-Operator Letter Writing Exercise
Frei, Frances X.Case HBS-608126-EThe exercise involves having students write letters to an organization of their choice describing their operating experience at a detailed level. The companies' responses are paired with the students' letters and the entire collection is made available to the class. The collection can be compelling. Students are quick to sense which organizations value customer communications as meaningful operational input. They find highly instructive the frequ...Starting at €8.20
-
The Four Things a Service Business Must Get Right
Frei, Frances X.Article HBS-R0804D-EService and Operations ManagementThis article includes a one-page preview that quickly summarizes the key ideas and provides an overview of how the concepts work in practice along with suggestions for further reading. Many of the management tools and techniques used in service businesses were designed to tackle the challenges of product companies. Although they are valuable to service managers, they aren't sufficient for success. In this article, Harvard Business School's Frei e...Starting at €8.20
-
Discovering Hidden Gems: The Story of Daryl Morey, Shane Battier, and the Houston Rockets (A)
Frei, Frances X.; Perlberg, MatthewCase HBS-610038-EService and Operations ManagementAs NBA Commissioner David Stern approached the podium, silent anticipation gripped the four thousand Houston Rockets fans gathered at the Rockets Draft Party. "With the 8th pick in the 2006 NBA draft," Stern began, "the Houston Rockets select Rudy Gay from the University of Connecticut." The four thousand Rockets faithfully erupted into euphoric cheers. Rudy Gay was a highly touted college prospect who some analysts projected could have been one ...Starting at €8.20
-
Truth Number 2: Someone Has to Pay for It--Four Funding Mechanisms That Can Sustain Premium Customer Service
Frei, Frances X.; Morriss, AnneBook Chapter HBS-8923BC-EService and Operations ManagementMost companies treat service as a low-priority business operation, keeping it out of the spotlight until a customer complains. Then service gets to make a brief appearance--for as long as it takes to calm the customer down and fix whatever foul-up jeopardized the relationship. In "Uncommon Service," from which this chapter was taken, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss show how, in a volatile economy where the old rules of strategic advantage no longer...Starting at €8.20
-
Zappos.com 2009: Clothing, Customer Service, and Company Culture
Frei, Frances X.; Ely, Robin J.; Winig, LauraCase HBS-610015-EService and Operations ManagementOn 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 billion multinational online retailer, had won its Board of Directors' approval to offer to merge the two companies. Amazon had been courting Zappos since 2005, hoping a merger would enable Amazon to expand and strengthen its market share in soft-line retail categories. While Amazon's interest in...Starting at €8.20
-
Clothing, Customer Service, and Company Culture (Spanish version)
Frei, Frances X.; Ely, Robin J.; Winig, LauraCase HBS-612S15On 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 billion multinational online retailer, had won its Board of Directors' approval to offer to merge the two companies. Amazon had been courting Zappos since 2005, hoping a merger would enable Amazon to expand and strengthen its market share in soft-line retail categories. While Amazon's interest in...Starting at €8.20