Customer strategy

Firms have never known more about their customers, but their innovation processes remain hit-or-miss. Why? According to Christensen and his coauthors,...

There is an undeniable gap between what consumers say they want and what they are actually putting in their baskets.

What consumers truly value can be difficult to pin down and psychologically complicated. But universal building blocks of value do exist, creating opportunities...

Anyone who has signed up for cell phone service, attempted to claim a rebate, or navigated a call center has probably suffered from a company's apparent...

Marketers often worry that performance marketing and its focus on short-term sales is crowding out brand-building activities aimed at enhancing customer...

When 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 notion that companies must go above and beyond in their customer service activities is so entrenched that managers rarely examine it. But a study...

Awareness of the five forces can help a company understand the structure of its industry and stake out a position that is more profitable and less vulnerable to attack.

When a customer turns combative during a negotiation, it is important to avoid confrontation or compromise. Instead, a salesperson should lure the customer...

Editor’s Note: This article sets out a simple, elegant, and ultimately tough-minded way to build profitability in a service business. Originally published in 1994, it offers as much today as it did then and is a perennial best seller. ♦ UPDATE: Learn about companies that are applying this timeless advice today. Top-level executives of outstanding […]

As B2B offerings become more commoditized, the subjective, sometimes quite personal considerations of business customers are increasingly important in...

Gauging—and communicating—what your products and services are worth to customers has never been more important.

Strategy making forces executives to confront a future they can only guess at. It's not surprising, then, that they try to make the task less daunting...

A refresher on customer churn rate.

Companies spend lots of time and money on complex tools to assess customer satisfaction. But they're measuring the wrong thing. The best predictor of...

A guide to making health care more accessible, affordable, and effective.

Since its introduction, in 2003, the Net Promoter System, which measures how consistently brands turn customers into advocates, has become the predominant...

Start by hiring people who really care about the customer experience.

In the past, design has most often occurred fairly far downstream in the development process and has focused on making new products aesthetically attractive...

A simple chart shows how much a customer will pay for a perceived benefit. This is more than a marketing aid, it’s a powerful tool for competitive strategy.