Achieving a designed customer experience across multiple delivery platforms: A telco perspective

'Customer experience' is a term that covers a wide range of activities that take place between suppliers and users of products and services. LaSalle and Britton define it as 'a holistic experience which involves a person - as opposed to a customer - as a whole at different levels and in every interaction between such person and a company' (2003). This research considers a key aspect of such an holistic experience: that which is embodied in the product or service under consideration. In the context of increasing mobile technology convergence, the paper considers new approaches that focus on developing the necessary underlying enablers and common interaction flows that are required to deliver a designed experience, taking into account the increasing number of mobile operating systems and service delivery platforms. Ultimately these models move towards allowing users to 'co-create their own unique experiences' (Pralahad and Ramswamy, 2004). The convergence between IT and telecommunications domains presents a unique challenge to product and service designers. Services are increasingly accessible via multiple delivery devices and delivery networks. This trend has been seen most recently in the advent of Internet based services being delivered via mobile phones where 'mobile service delivery and technologies have become the glue between previously secluded 'telecom' and "IT' domains' (Karrberg and Liebenau, 2006). At the same time network operators are trying to tighten their relationship with their customers by offering 'sticky' services aimed at raising the barriers to customer mobility. These two trends lead to a new design challenge: how to design a recognisably consistent and compelling product customer experience that applies over all delivery services, operating systems and networks. Solutions to this problem have to date been either technology led, focussing on integrated delivery platforms, or reliant on rule-based design. Crucial to this analysis is the 'role Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item

Using text-mining-assisted analysis to examine the applicability of unstructured data in the context of customer complaint management

Double DegreeIn quest of gaining a more holistic picture of customer experiences, many companies are starting to consider textual data due to the richer insights on customer experience touch points it can provide. Meanwhile, recent trends point towards an emerging integration of customer relationship management and customer experience management and thereby availability of additional sources of textual data. Using text-mining-assisted analysis, this study demonstrates the practicality of the arising opportunity with means of perceived justice theory in the context of customer complaint management. The study shows that customers value interpersonal aspects most as part of the overall complaint handling process. The results link the individual factors in a sequence of ‘courtesy → interactional justice → satisfaction with complaint handling’, followed by behavioural outcomes. Academic and managerial implications are discussed

Service Quality And Customer Satisfaction Of Mobile Phone Provider Among Postgraduate Students Of University Utara Malaysia

This study was to find out whether there is a relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality. This study examined the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality (reliability, tangibles, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) on mobile phone provider (Digi, Maxis And Celcom) in Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia. This study is designed to provide the benefit for marketing practitioners, especially for GSM provider in UUM areas. For marketing practitioners, the aim is to offer a holistic and in-depth overview of how customer forms, experience and exploit their satisfaction towards services that offered by the mobile phone provider

Exploring the Impact of Augmented Reality on Customer Experiences and Attitudes: A Comparative Analysis with Websites

Augmented Reality is used by various customers’ concerned companies to augment their stimuli, shopping experiences, and customers’ purchasing behavior. Hence, AR driven enabling stimulates customer engagement and their shopping attitude by providing a vivid technology experience. Prior studies found that AR novelty, trust, and vividness influenced the customer usage attitude. There have extant literature presented in the context of AR applications, it is widely used through numerous gadgets but the author intends to explore holistic features that tend to grasp customers’ experiences and attitudes to find the variance between AR vs. Websites. AR potentially disrupted the real-world environment by providing hedonic visual benefits and eliminating the physical efforts that tend to stimulate customers who mesmerize with AR compared to a website. The author chose the Houzz AR app and its website to gather data and provide a better understanding of both scenarios. The author conducted two-field experiments to illustrate positive customer attitudes that satisfied their experience towards the AR app rather than the traditional website. AR app is vivid and novel to engage a customer and moderate their attitude towards the technology immersion. Finally, this study provides multiple implications such as unique visual illustrations, sensational features, and innovation resulting in satisfied customer experience, considering both features in real and virtual world environments

Achieving a designed customer experience across multiple delivery platforms: A telco perspective

'Customer experience' is a term that covers a wide range of activities that take place between suppliers and users of products and services. LaSalle and Britton define it as 'a holistic experience which involves a person - as opposed to a customer - as a whole at different levels and in every interaction between such person and a company' (2003). This research considers a key aspect of such an holistic experience: that which is embodied in the product or service under consideration. In the context of increasing mobile technology convergence, the paper considers new approaches that focus on developing the necessary underlying enablers and common interaction flows that are required to deliver a designed experience, taking into account the increasing number of mobile operating systems and service delivery platforms. Ultimately these models move towards allowing users to 'co-create their own unique experiences' (Pralahad and Ramswamy, 2004). The convergence between IT and telecommunications domains presents a unique challenge to product and service designers. Services are increasingly accessible via multiple delivery devices and delivery networks. This trend has been seen most recently in the advent of Internet based services being delivered via mobile phones where 'mobile service delivery and technologies have become the glue between previously secluded 'telecom' and "IT' domains' (Karrberg and Liebenau, 2006). At the same time network operators are trying to tighten their relationship with their customers by offering 'sticky' services aimed at raising the barriers to customer mobility. These two trends lead to a new design challenge: how to design a recognisably consistent and compelling product customer experience that applies over all delivery services, operating systems and networks. Solutions to this problem have to date been either technology led, focussing on integrated delivery platforms, or reliant on rule-based design. Crucial to this analysis is the 'rol

Study on Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction on the Mobile Phone Provider : A Case of Postgraduate Students in Al-Fateh University of Libya

This study was to find out whether there is a relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. This study examined the relationship between service quality dimensions (reliability,tangibles,responsiveness,assurance and empathy) and customer satisfaction among mobile phone customers of two mobile phone service providers - the Al Mader and Libyana at the Alfateh University in Libya. This study is designed to provide the benefit for marketing practitioners. It is hoped that the study offer a holistic and in-depth overview of how customer forms, experience and exploit their satisfaction towards services that offered by the mobile phone provider.There are five dimensions service quality which are: reliability, tangibles, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. A total of 205 postgraduate students participated in the study. Data were collected using questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 23 items measuring service quality and 8 items on customer satisfaction. On the whole,the results of the study suggest that there exist a significant relationship between the five dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction

Yarra Valley Water: A Successful Change Programme for Corporatized Water Utility

Yarra Valley Water, a corporatised water utility achieved the significant efficiencies that are promised from the move towards privatisation. At the same time it substantially improved the quality of service delivery to its customers. It demonstrated that substantial benefits can be achieved with a minimal investment through leveraging existing information systems. The use of enterprise modelling that contributes to an “holistic” view of the organisation’s information and processing in Customer Services contributed greatly to successful integration of these existing systems. Crucial to all of this was the willingness of the organisation to transform itself to one dedicated to “best” customer service and asset management. The experience of Yarra Valley Water provides lessons relevant worldwide, but especially for developed economies. First, achieving efficiencies and improving service quality are not mutually contradictory. Second, these benefits can be accomplished with a minimal investment by leveraging off existing systems. Third, the use of enterprise modelling gives the necessary “holistic” view of the relevant information flows and processes to enable successful integration of disparate systems. Finally, realisation of the benefits of corporatisation ( privatisation) requires a paradigm shift in the business culture of the former utility

A planned study of the impact of B2C logistics service quality on shopper satisfaction and loyalty

Purpose of the paper: This paper reports on an in-progress study of the impact of business to consumer (B2C) logistics service quality (LSQ) on in-store shopper satisfaction and loyalty. Methodology: A comparative research approach is being used across the UK, France and Germany to also investigate country-specific differences of consumer shopping behaviour and channel strategies. The first stage, in-line with a deliberate integrated supply chain approach, consists of structured in-depth interviews conducted with managers at the producer/retailer interface, e.g. producer category captains and retail category managers. This qualitative stage will be followed-up by a quantitative survey stage targeting consumers as shoppers to determine how their expectations of retail LSQ and associated activities influence their satisfaction and ongoing loyalty. Findings: A broad literature review has generated over 40 variables of interest for both LSQ and loyalty, and almost 10 variables of satisfaction. This study will contribute theoretically by considering a B2C setting for LSQ, which is the final aspect of point of origin to point-of-consumption, whereas most general LSQ literature and LSQ’s impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty has been dominated by business to business (B2B) designs from point-of-origin to point of sale, that is they assume consumer expectations are a given or a different domain. Research limitations: Although covering three major European grocery retail markets, this study might not be considered as representative, especially when adopting a world-wide perspective. Practical implications: As this study emphasises consequences of B2C LSQ on downstream or consumer satisfaction and loyalty, rather than considering the upstream origins of related problems that dominate extant research, it will contribute practically by providing managers with an understanding of the components of LSQ considered critical by consumers

Applying the Holistic Conceptual Conservation Framework for Sustainable Tourism

The tourism and hospitality industry has not always followed sound environmental stewardship. Increased awareness among tourists worldwide has prompted sustainabilit­y discourse encouraging long-term systemic approaches to planning and development. The research article proposes a holistic conceptual conservation framework that shows how a united tourism and hospitality industry can curtail the processes of environmental destruction and collectively offer authentic touristic experiences. Visitors can fully experience tourist destinations through integrated ecotourism, ethnotourism, and other related tangential offerings alongside those of larger tourism and hospitality providers. The conservation framework hypothetically strengthens the customer loyalty of tourists towards all industry operators and related practitioners, regardless of size. The holistic conceptual conservation framework endorses eco-cooperation at a regional level and beyond in a manner that goes beyond community planning and forms the foundation for future empirical studies concerning the tourism and hospitality industry’s practitioner environmental sustainability applications and overall eco-responsibility level

On Evidence-based Risk Management in Requirements Engineering

Background: The sensitivity of Requirements Engineering (RE) to the context makes it difficult to efficiently control problems therein, thus, hampering an effective risk management devoted to allow for early corrective or even preventive measures. Problem: There is still little empirical knowledge about context-specific RE phenomena which would be necessary for an effective context- sensitive risk management in RE. Goal: We propose and validate an evidence-based approach to assess risks in RE using cross-company data about problems, causes and effects. Research Method: We use survey data from 228 companies and build a probabilistic network that supports the forecast of context-specific RE phenomena. We implement this approach using spreadsheets to support a light-weight risk assessment. Results: Our results from an initial validation in 6 companies strengthen our confidence that the approach increases the awareness for individual risk factors in RE, and the feedback further allows for disseminating our approach into practice.Comment: 20 pages, submitted to 10th Software Quality Days conference, 201