I think of that Harvard Business Review article from like a dozen years back - "Stop Trying to Delight Customers." It was seminal and is still memorable all these years later. The crux of the article is that "delight" is temporary, unsustainable, doesn't guarantee loyalty, and is less effective than focusing on reducing overall customer effort. Delighting customers with surprise and exceeding expectations is often fleeting, as novelty wears off, but a consistently positive but effort-free experience is what truly builds loyalty. Instead of trying to delight, we should focus on making interactions smooth and problem resolution effortless.
So hearing Kyle talk today about "delight" and every time Dan mentions it, seems to me like a throwback to the early oughts.