Superior customer service can differentiate your business in the marketplace—if you design the right offerings and execute flawlessly. Led by HBS thought leaders who are experts in customer experience management, this program delves into the fundamentals of leading and managing service-oriented businesses. You will explore new strategies for designing sustainable service models, addressing gaps in service execution, and delivering a transformational customer experience.

Summary: Superior customer service can differentiate your business in the marketplace—if you design the right offerings and execute flawlessly. Led by HBS thought leaders who are experts in customer experience management, this program delves into the fundamentals of leading and managing service-oriented businesses. You will explore new strategies for designing sustainable service models, addressing gaps in service execution, and delivering a transformational customer experience.

Key Benefits

Taking a holistic approach to service design, execution, and transformation, this program prepares you to create an exceptional service culture that supports employees, delights customers, and drives organizational performance. You will return with the frameworks to align your firm's operating models and strategic service mission with changing consumer needs, shifting market demands, and an evolving competitive landscape.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Design effective service strategies and offerings Design effective service strategies and offerings

Develop operations and service features that support a highly refined service model
Gain a deeper understanding of how to serve your customer base
Develop a customer experience strategy
Respond nimbly to market shifts and emerging competition

Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery

Improve the culture of service execution in your organization
Create an environment that enables employees and customers to thrive
Communicate your organization's strategic service mission
Leverage technology to create and enhance service offerings and improve delivery

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits

Details

Design effective service strategies and offerings

Develop operations and service features that support a highly refined service model
Gain a deeper understanding of how to serve your customer base
Develop a customer experience strategy
Respond nimbly to market shifts and emerging competition

Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery

Improve the culture of service execution in your organization
Create an environment that enables employees and customers to thrive
Communicate your organization's strategic service mission
Leverage technology to create and enhance service offerings and improve delivery

Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Who Should Attend

Senior executives in either B2C or B2B companies wanting to improve service, including service companies, product companies with service-based strategies, or companies shifting from a product focus to a service focus. The program will be most helpful for individuals who have the authority to initiate change across the organization. Participants might include:

Leaders of customer service teams, inside sales teams, or other functions central to service delivery
Executives in marketing, data analysis, or operations management
Human resources executives concerned with driving internal service culture

While individuals are invited to attend, cross-functional teams of four or more executives will gain the most from this program. Team attendance fosters fruitful collaboration that will enhance the program's impact on your service capabilities.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Air France

American Tower Corporation

Bowlmor AMF

Cactus Restaurants

Computacenter

General Motors

Hiscox Insurance

HomeServe

Sterling Bank

University of New England

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Experience the Case Method in the Classroom

Watch participants debate the issues and present their viewpoints.

Understanding the Case Method

Read the case, discuss with your peers, and decide how you would address the challenges.

Who Should Attend

Leaders of customer service teams, inside sales teams, or other functions central to service delivery
Executives in marketing, data analysis, or operations management
Human resources executives concerned with driving internal service culture

Participating Companies Have Included:

Air France

American Tower Corporation

Bowlmor AMF

Cactus Restaurants

Computacenter

General Motors

Hiscox Insurance

HomeServe

Sterling Bank

University of New England

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Experience the Case Method in the Classroom

Watch participants debate the issues and present their viewpoints.

Understanding the Case Method

Read the case, discuss with your peers, and decide how you would address the challenges.

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Learning and Living at HBS: When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. No payment is necessary until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date. If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

What You Will Learn

Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies, hands-on workshops, and group discussions, this service management program prepares you to design and deliver transformational customer experiences. You will leave with a road map for creating a distinct and sustainable service model, maximizing customer engagement, enabling customers and employees to thrive, and securing a competitive edge in your industry.

What You Will Learn: Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies, hands-on workshops, and group discussions, this service management program prepares you to design and deliver transformational customer experiences. You will leave with a road map for creating a distinct and sustainable service model, maximizing customer engagement, enabling customers and employees to thrive, and securing a competitive edge in your industry.

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

Design Design

Making appropriate strategic tradeoffs in service design
Differentiating on customer service
Enabling and maintaining service excellence as you expand core services
Ensuring that organizational capabilities are aligned with customer needs
Addressing differences in customer segments and variations in customer compatibility
Applying principles of human-centered service design to diagnose latent or unmet customer needs

Execution Execution

Implementing new approaches to understanding, managing, and serving customers
Creating conditions that lead to brilliant service execution and thriving employees
Creating more satisfying customer experiences and managing the customer experience over time
Leveraging technology for more effective service
Employing service analytics for ongoing improvement
Identifying innovative ways to fund service

Transformation Transformation

Identifying opportunities to improve service design or create new service offerings
Communicating the vision
Leading change across your service organization

Key Topics

Design

Making appropriate strategic tradeoffs in service design
Differentiating on customer service
Enabling and maintaining service excellence as you expand core services
Ensuring that organizational capabilities are aligned with customer needs
Addressing differences in customer segments and variations in customer compatibility
Applying principles of human-centered service design to diagnose latent or unmet customer needs

Execution

Implementing new approaches to understanding, managing, and serving customers
Creating conditions that lead to brilliant service execution and thriving employees
Creating more satisfying customer experiences and managing the customer experience over time
Leveraging technology for more effective service
Employing service analytics for ongoing improvement
Identifying innovative ways to fund service

Transformation

Identifying opportunities to improve service design or create new service offerings
Communicating the vision
Leading change across your service organization

Individual Coaching

To address the specific challenges facing your company in a more personal way, this program includes a personalized coaching session. You will work directly with an HBS faculty member to identify opportunities for service improvement, determine the best tools and techniques for your company, and apply program lessons. These sessions will help you redefine your service vision, improve the design of your organization, enhance service execution, and lead customer experience transformation.

Team Benefits: Collaboration and Coaching

Throughout the program, members of your company team will collaborate in diagnosing and addressing the challenges facing your organization. In addition, your team will work with a faculty coach to identify shared objectives for service improvement and create an action plan for working together to drive the changes that will take service to the next level.

Emerging Insights: Optional Breakfasts with Faculty

In early-morning sessions, faculty members will share powerful insights from ongoing research that will stimulate new thinking as you work to improve service. Be among the first to learn about emerging trends—in realms ranging from human psychology to organization structure—that can inform your service strategy and execution.

Individual Coaching

Team Benefits: Collaboration and Coaching

Emerging Insights: Optional Breakfasts with Faculty

Faculty

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Chair

Ryan W. Buell

UPS Foundation Associate Professor of Service Management. Member of the Technology and Operations Management Unit; and faculty chair of "Transforming Customer Experiences."

Listen as Ryan Buell explores human-centered service design.

Read Full Bio Learn More

Faculty

Dennis W. Campbell

Dwight P. Robinson, Jr. Professor of Business Administration. Unit Head, Accounting and Management.

Read Full Bio

Kris Johnson Ferreira

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Technology and Operations Management Unit.

Read Full Bio

Leslie K. John

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit.

Read Full Bio

Antonio Moreno

Sicupira Family Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit.

Read Full Bio

Das Narayandas

Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean, External Relations and Harvard Business Publishing. Member of the Marketing Unit.

Read Full Bio

Lecturer

Jill J. Avery

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration; and member of the Marketing Unit.

Read Full Bio

Faculty: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Chair

Ryan W. Buell

UPS Foundation Associate Professor of Service Management. Member of the Technology and Operations Management Unit; and faculty chair of "Transforming Customer Experiences."

Listen as Ryan Buell explores human-centered service design.

Read Full Bio Learn More

Faculty

Dennis W. Campbell

Dwight P. Robinson, Jr. Professor of Business Administration. Unit Head, Accounting and Management.

Read Full Bio

Kris Johnson Ferreira

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Technology and Operations Management Unit.

Read Full Bio

Leslie K. John

Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets Unit.

Read Full Bio

Antonio Moreno

Sicupira Family Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Technology and Operations Management Unit.

Read Full Bio

Das Narayandas

Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration. Senior Associate Dean, External Relations and Harvard Business Publishing. Member of the Marketing Unit.

Read Full Bio

Lecturer

Jill J. Avery

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration; and member of the Marketing Unit.

Read Full Bio