The bigger the employee’s smile, the happier the customer. That’s the conclusion of new research from Bowling Green State and Penn State universities.
A version of this article appeared in the May 2007 issue of Harvard Business Review.
Service with a Very Big Smile
The bigger the employee’s smile, the happier the customer. That’s the conclusion of new research from Bowling Green State and Penn State universities. With the help of trained observers, Patricia Barger and Alicia Grandey followed 173 encounters between customers and employees in coffee shops, scoring the employees’ “smile strength” on a scale from “absent” to […]
Summary.
Reprint: F0705C
New research confirms that the bigger the employees’ smiles, the happier the customers.
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HBR Learning
Customer Focus Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Customer Focus. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to keep your customers—and their most important needs—front and center.