Stop Trying to Delight Customers

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 of more than 75,000 people interacting with contact-center representatives or using self-service channels found that over-the-top efforts make little difference: All customers really want is a simple, quick solution to their problem.

By Matthew Dixon, Karen Freeman, and Nick Toman | HBR