Nov 10, 2026 · 28 min
Executives misread customer value, study finds
What Customers Really Value–and Why Leaders Keep Getting It Wrong
Companies can waste strategic resources on vivid requests while overlooking the operational details that actually improve satisfaction, retention, and growth.
- 1Executives often identify what customers mention, but poorly predict which factors create lasting value.
- 2Statistical models can rank value drivers more reliably than anecdotes, intuition, or seniority-driven judgment.
- 3Humility and focused execution help organizations replace low-value initiatives with the few priorities customers reward.
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Mittal describes a distribution company redirecting investment from warehouse automation to rapid quoting after evidence showed which initiative customers valued more.
The brief
Adi Ignatius and Alison Beard frame a recurring strategic error: executives gather customer data, then let intuition decide what matters most.
Vikas Mittal’s seven-year study of 72 businesses separates vivid customer requests from the routine services that create lasting value, such as responsive problem-solving.
Customer conversations remain useful for generating hypotheses, but statistical models should rank potential value drivers and expose bias, salience, and organizational politics.
The sharpest test comes when evidence contradicts a powerful leader’s initiative: one distribution company shifted attention from warehouse automation to rapid quoting.
Mittal’s prescription is disciplined focus: identify one or two high-impact value levers, align employees around them, and resist constant strategic pivots.
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