Customer journey analysis in household waste management services

Abstract. This Master’s Thesis studies the customer journey, value elements and the customers’ broad value creation process in the business context of private household waste management for first-time house-owners. The main research question is defined as follows: What are the value elements for the customer in different touchpoints of the customer journey upon acquiring and using private household waste management services? The objective is to create a customer journey map for the case company’s defined segment of first-time house-owners, and to provide relevant research data and insight about what is perceived valuable in their service. By applying the customer journey and the mapped service touchpoints with the discovered value elements, the thesis client will be able to embed the studied value elements to their service offering and journey for a better service experience for new house-owners. The main theoretical framework consists of customer journey as a timeline for the customer experience in a purchase process; phases of a purchase process and service touchpoints included. Service-dominant logic and further complementary critical service logic and its value creation spheres depict how value is created in use by the customer, facilitated by dynamic, reciprocal value proposition. These aspects are adapted and combined in a novel framework by the researcher to illustrate the customer journey as an experience of a purchase process and value creation as value-in-use in the customer’s own sphere. The research method used in the study is justifiably a qualitative case study as an empirical method to study social phenomena of particular interest to real-life stakeholders such as organizations and their managerial processes within important contextual conditions. The data collection is carried out by conducting semi-structured interviews to customers in the target segment. Eight households are interviewed, at which point data saturation for generalizing the findings is seen to have been reached. The data analysis of all the respective customer journey blueprints enables the researcher to compose a conclusive illustration of a fifteen-step customer journey map and to identify the main touchpoints and value elements as part of the broad value creation process of the target customer segment. The output of the customer journey analysis is also applied to the previously created own theoretical framework, and the most relevant theoretical aspects are further discussed. The researched value elements in different touchpoints of the customer journey can be summarized as affordability; supporting local business; prompt, simple and friendly customer service; service offering fulfilling own needs; service delivery on schedule; reliable, effortless usage of the service. Conclusions as managerial implications in the client’s behalf are also provided. Lastly, the quality of the research is evaluated in the case study’s context and some discussion of this and future research in the case company’s context is had