Customers
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- 27 Sep 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Large-Scale Demand Estimation with Search Data
Online retailers face the challenge of leveraging the rich data they collect on their websites to uncover insights about consumer behavior. This study proposes a practical and tractable model of economic behavior that can reveal helpful patterns of cross-product substitution. The model can be used to simulate optimal prices.
- 12 Feb 2018
- Research & Ideas
Customers at the Back of the Line Are Anxious—Can You Keep Them from Leaving?
The irrational anxiety associated with being last in line can lead to unhappy customers, according to new research by Ryan Buell. But there are ways to make people happier while they wait—and keep them from abandoning the queue. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Feb 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Last Place Aversion in Queues
While no one likes standing in line for service, being last intensifies the pain of waiting, doubles the probability of switching queues, and quadruples the chances of leaving the line altogether. Many service settings could be improved if managers actively mitigated last place aversion.
- 20 Dec 2017
- Lessons from the Classroom
How to Design a Better Customer Experience
With the help of LEGO bricks, Stefan Thomke helps business executives discover how design principles can serve as building blocks to create a great customer experience. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 24 Aug 2017
- Cold Call Podcast
Does Le Pliage Help or Hurt the Longchamp Luxury Brand?
Longchamp's iconic but affordable Le Pliage bag is a conundrum for the company, explains Jill Avery in this podcast. Does an affordable luxury product work against the top-tier brand? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 10 Jul 2017
- Op-Ed
Op-Ed: It’s a Bad Idea to Ban Customers From Recording Videos
With videos of bad business practices routinely going viral, it might be tempting to prohibit customers from recording their surroundings. But banning cameras is the wrong way to go, says Benjamin Edelman. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 29 Jun 2017
- Research & Ideas
Why Uber Is Worth Saving and How To Do It
For many, Uber is a cautionary tale of corporate hubris gone crazy. But Rosabeth Moss Kanter argues the innovator deserves a second chance. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Apr 2017
- HBS Case
This Turkish Debt Collector Is Customer-friendly
A Turkish-based company pioneers a kinder, gentler method of collecting debt that Professor Dennis Campbell sees as an international model. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 23 Mar 2017
- Cold Call Podcast
Cost-cutting Leads to Turbulence in the Airline Industry
When a business known for delivering an exemplary customer experience faces cutbacks, what services get chopped? Assistant Professor Susanna Gallani discusses a recent case study about an airline that looks not just to survive a downturn but emerge stronger. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 13 Jul 2016
- HBS Case
How Uber, Airbnb, and Etsy Attracted Their First 1,000 Customers
Thales Teixeira studies three of the most successful “platform” startups to understand the chicken-and-egg challenge of how companies can attract their first customers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 03 Feb 2016
- Research & Ideas
The State of Customer Service Leadership
The economic future of the country is largely in the hands of those who lead our service organizations, which create more employment and GDP growth than any other sector. Jim Heskett, Earl Sasser, and Len Schlesinger discuss the current state of service and their recent book, What Great Service Leaders Know & Do. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Nov 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Self-Interest: The Economist's Straitjacket
Research explores the downsides of self-interest on businesses, government, and the economy as a whole.
- 20 Oct 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Internalizing Global Value Chains: A Firm-Level Analysis
Manufacturing activities that used to be performed in close proximity are increasingly fragmented across firms and countries. This paper provides strong evidence that considerations driven by contractual frictions critically shape firms' ownership decisions along their value chains.
- 17 Mar 2015
- Research & Ideas
Where Did My Shopping Mall Go?
The growing popularity of online shopping is remaking the world of offline shopping—stores are getting smaller, malls are getting scarcer. Rajiv Lal and José Alvarez look ahead five years at our radically transforming shopping experience. Plus: Book excerpt. Open for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Feb 2015
- Research & Ideas
Disruptors Sell What Customers Want and Let Competitors Sell What They Don’t
By "decoupling" activities that consumers value from the ones they don't, enterprising digital startups are wreaking havoc on established firms. Thales Teixeira discusses his research on the second wave of Internet disruption. Open for comment; 8 Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Feb 2015
- Working Paper Summaries
Mobile Money: The Effect of Service Quality and Competition on Demand
Mobile money—the use of electronic money transfer through cellular networks—is rapidly expanding in developing countries, especially among the "unbanked." One persistent problem for mobile money agents, however, has been managing inventory and service quality. Using data from Kenya and Uganda, two East African countries at different stages of mobile money market development, the authors introduce an operations management lens for mobile money and explore the effects of competition and service quality on demand. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Jun 2014
- Research & Ideas
Secrets to a Successful Social Media Strategy
Misiek Piskorski explores the secrets of successful social media tactics in his new book, A Social Strategy: How We Profit From Social Media. Open for comment; 6 Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Jun 2014
- Research & Ideas
Excerpt: ‘A Social Strategy’
An excerpt from A Social Strategy: How We Profit From Social Media by Mikolaj Jan Piskorski Open for comment; 1 Comment(s) posted.
- 19 May 2014
- Research & Ideas
Why Companies Should Compete for Your Privacy
Consumers are sometimes willing to trade personal data for lower prices. How should companies compete for that valuable information? A discussion with Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Andrés Hervás-Drane. Open for comment; 2 Comment(s) posted.
The Legacy of Boaty McBoatface: Beware of Customers Who Vote
Companies that encourage consumers to vote online should be forewarned—they may expect more than you promise, according to research by Michael Norton, Leslie John, and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.