“Yes, and. . .”: What improv theater can teach service firms

This installment of Marketing & Technology introduces managers to improvisation-colloquially known as 'improv'-or acting sans pre-planning, as a device for delivering warm, unmechanical service without breaking the training budget. We begin by describing improv, reviewing its history, and covering the rules and guidelines that improv uses. Then we explore some of the ways in which improv has been used in non-theater settings, and we present a number of examples of improv in customer service. We conclude by offering three lessons that improv theater can teach service firms.