article thumbnail

Success Begins with Quality Customer Service

Chart Your Course

But eConsultancy’s 2013 Cross-Channel Marketing Report found that 70 percent of business owners feel acquisitions are definitely more expensive than retention. An airline sending text messages to customers about flight delays or billing departments sending reminder of upcoming invoices are two examples of anticipatory service.

Quality 182
article thumbnail

0511 | Larry Downes: Full Transcript

LDRLB

I think our principal observation was that what was happening was that disruptive innovations driven by largely information technology but lots of other technologies on the fringe here that are getting ready to exhibit the same kind of characteristics were entering the market in kind of this better and cheaper way.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Don’t Settle for Being an “-er Brand”

Harvard Business Review

As a member of a start-up advisory program, I regularly hear pitches from aspiring technology entrepreneurs. billion IPO valuation in 2013) can be attributed to its continued focus on that target. Southwest Airlines exists in a class of its own in large part due to its fun personality. Hyundai is an -er brand.

Brand 10
article thumbnail

Virgin Atlantic Tested 3 Ways to Change Employee Behavior

Harvard Business Review

So we partnered with Virgin Atlantic Airways on a field experiment to understand how the behavior of employees—in this case, airline captains—influences fuel efficiency, and how low-cost company interventions can influence their behavior.

article thumbnail

Your Board Should Be Full of Activists

Harvard Business Review

In its 2013 proxy statement , GE announced that it is searching for director candidates who will bring technology, marketing, finance — and “leadership” experience to the boardroom. .” Good means directors who exercise independent oversight and who are deeply engaged in the company’s long-term strategy.

article thumbnail

How to Turn Around Nearly Anything

Harvard Business Review

The Boston Red Sox 2013 World Series championship will long be remembered as proof that you can turn around nearly anything. Others need a course correction while still profitable (Microsoft), or a momentum shift because of disruptive new technologies (newspaper companies). For airlines, it is on-time performance.

How To 9
article thumbnail

The Benefits of Hiring Your Best Customers

Harvard Business Review

The airline industry has experienced great volatility from deregulation, takeovers through mergers and acquisitions, and, as always, unpredictable forces of nature. ” Krolick also noted that a meaningful number of United Airlines employees are also pilots—these are super-superconsumers. Unlocking Energy. Building Empathy.