Customer experience management in B2B project business
Paananen, Ella (2023)
Paananen, Ella
2023
Tuotantotalouden DI-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management
Tekniikan ja luonnontieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2023-04-12
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202303162967
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202303162967
Tiivistelmä
The evaluation of project-based business performance can be approached from various perspectives. Conventionally, organizations have placed significant emphasis on the timely completion of projects and adherence to budgetary constraints. These conventional metrics only allow for relatively cursory comparison between competing project supplier firms, and hence, the differentiation factors between firms are typically centered around aspects of overall experience management rather than purely technical factors.
This thesis examines how the business-to-business (B2B) customer experience is structured in a project business environment. Literature is examined through two different theory areas. The first theory area concentrates on studying the nature of project business. The second theory area examines the intricacies of creating a good customer experience in a B2B context from a corporate client's perspective. This study aims to understand the essential factors contributing to good customer experience management in project business and to recognize the management features of the companies that are successful within this field. The two research questions are: "What is customer experience management in the context of project business?" and "What are the key factors in successful customer experience management in project business?". This thesis was conducted as an interview study. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten different firms project supplier companies.
The findings from the literature review indicate that the B2B customer experience is a multi-faceted construct that emerges across various phases of the project life cycle. The project life cycle, comprising the pre-execution and post-phases of the project delivery, is significantly influenced by the touchpoints between the customers and suppliers. Customer touchpoint refers to any interaction between a customer and a company or brand. Touchpoints can include any part of the customer journey, such as marketing and advertising, sales interactions, customer service and support, and post-purchase follow-up. Each touchpoint presents an opportunity for a company to create a positive customer experience and build customer loyalty. The results emphasize the importance of active communication and cooperation between the customer and supplier. The study reveals that the successful customer experience in projects relies heavily on seamless collaboration between customers and vendors and the integration of parties across different levels of the organization.
The research identifies five critical factors essential to successful customer experience management within the company: ownership, action, coverage, culture, and access. The success of each factor is determined by the different interactions and the ability of the project team to manage them effectively. Furthermore, the study highlights that effective B2B customer experience management should start at the highest level of the organization, ensuring clear owner-ship and accountability to achieve the optimal customer experience.
The B2B customer experience management factors play a role over the continuum of the pre-, execution, and post-phases of the project delivery. Consequently, the factors contribute to one another continuously. As such, clear ownership is a prerequisite for concrete action, which in turn contributes to the coverage factor. Thus, the identified factors may be seen as a hierarchical cascade.
This thesis examines how the business-to-business (B2B) customer experience is structured in a project business environment. Literature is examined through two different theory areas. The first theory area concentrates on studying the nature of project business. The second theory area examines the intricacies of creating a good customer experience in a B2B context from a corporate client's perspective. This study aims to understand the essential factors contributing to good customer experience management in project business and to recognize the management features of the companies that are successful within this field. The two research questions are: "What is customer experience management in the context of project business?" and "What are the key factors in successful customer experience management in project business?". This thesis was conducted as an interview study. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten different firms project supplier companies.
The findings from the literature review indicate that the B2B customer experience is a multi-faceted construct that emerges across various phases of the project life cycle. The project life cycle, comprising the pre-execution and post-phases of the project delivery, is significantly influenced by the touchpoints between the customers and suppliers. Customer touchpoint refers to any interaction between a customer and a company or brand. Touchpoints can include any part of the customer journey, such as marketing and advertising, sales interactions, customer service and support, and post-purchase follow-up. Each touchpoint presents an opportunity for a company to create a positive customer experience and build customer loyalty. The results emphasize the importance of active communication and cooperation between the customer and supplier. The study reveals that the successful customer experience in projects relies heavily on seamless collaboration between customers and vendors and the integration of parties across different levels of the organization.
The research identifies five critical factors essential to successful customer experience management within the company: ownership, action, coverage, culture, and access. The success of each factor is determined by the different interactions and the ability of the project team to manage them effectively. Furthermore, the study highlights that effective B2B customer experience management should start at the highest level of the organization, ensuring clear owner-ship and accountability to achieve the optimal customer experience.
The B2B customer experience management factors play a role over the continuum of the pre-, execution, and post-phases of the project delivery. Consequently, the factors contribute to one another continuously. As such, clear ownership is a prerequisite for concrete action, which in turn contributes to the coverage factor. Thus, the identified factors may be seen as a hierarchical cascade.