The focus of this chapter is the customer journey, a concept that has emerged from business practice and that now commands the attention of practitioners and academics alike. The customer journey is defined as the sum total of all customer interactions with a product, brand or organization across multiple channels and touchpoints. The customer journey is still primarily a concept from business practice and is an immature field for academics. As a result, we draw upon existing literature streams, which are not directly focused on the customer journey but which deliver key insights and enable us to build understanding. Specifically, we draw upon multichannel management and services management research and demonstrate how these knowledge streams help to build understanding of the dynamics of the customer as they move along their journey. We present a detailed examination of one specific form of customer journey, the shopper journey, and assess the drivers of shopping channel choice and journey configuration. The evolution of the shopper journey from single channel, through multichannel, to omnichannel is discussed. The chapter then moves on to discuss the service journey, broadening the journey perspective from the act of shopping to the holistic experience of service consumption. The key role of the customer in co-creating value along the service journey is identified, and we note the importance of personalization and of understanding customers’ relational needs to service journey optimization. Next, we examine the role that customer journey mapping can play in helping organizations to understand and improve their customers’ current journey configurations and in informing future service journey design. The challenges inherent in measuring the customer experience along the journey are discussed, and alternative customer journey metrics are evaluated. The chapter concludes with our reflections on the current state of knowledge, and we identify future directions for customer journey research and also future challenges for business practice.
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Design/methodology Organisations are digitising the customer journey at a fast pace but have no idea what the effects of digitisation will be on customer experience and customer relationships. This paper describes two studies on digitisation in customer contact and the effects on customer experience and customer relationships. The first study examines how a relatively new medium, such as chat, relates to more a traditional medium such as the telephone. The second study examines the effects of re-directing customers from a traditional channel like telephone to the internet. Purpose: The research described in this paper was designed to measure these effects of digitisation on customer experience and customer relationships. Findings: Findings show that customers have a more positive customer experience when they use a digital channel like chat than when they use a traditional channel like phone, regardless of whether they have a simple or a complex question. The use of a digital channel does not have an impact on the customer relationship. Channel direction, however, has a negative impact on customer experience but also does not have an impact on the relationship. Practical implications: Our research shows that the use of digital channels like chat, unlike what people often think, do not necessarily have to lead to a deterioration of customer experience. In certain cases, the use of digital channels will lead to an improvement of customer experience. The research results also show that neither the used communication-medium nor a restriction of freedom of choice have a significant influence on the relational models. Originality: The most important contribution of this paper to the scientific literature is that it provides a deeper insight into the effects of some aspects of digitisation on customer experience and customer relationships. It also provides insight into the applicability of relational models in existing customer–supplier relationships.
From the article: "Axiomatic Design and Complexity Theory as described by Suh focus heavily on the coupling often found in functional requirements. This is so fundamental to the analysis of the design that it is the core of the Axiom of Independence which examines the coupling between functional requirements due to chosen design parameters. That said, the mapping between customer needs and functional requirements is often overlooked. In this paper we consider coupling, found due to this mapping, as a possible source of complexity in terms of a user interface to a designed product. We also re-examine the methodology of how customer needs are generated and translated into the other domains to understand how they can give further insight into the customer mindset. Based on this analysis, we believe customer domain complexity should always be examined in design that includes end-user interaction."
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Size measurement plays an essential role for micro-/nanoparticle characterization and property evaluation. Due to high costs, complex operation or resolution limit, conventional characterization techniques cannot satisfy the growing demand of routine size measurements in various industry sectors and research departments, e.g., pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials and food industry etc. Together with start-up SeeNano and other partners, we will develop a portable compact device to measure particle size based on particle-impact electrochemical sensing technology. The main task in this project is to extend the measurement range for particles with diameters ranging from 20 nm to 20 um and to validate this technology with realistic samples from various application areas. In this project a new electrode chip will be designed and fabricated. It will result in a workable prototype including new UMEs (ultra-micro electrode), showing that particle sizing can be achieved on a compact portable device with full measuring range. Following experimental testing with calibrated particles, a reliable calibration model will be built up for full range measurement. In a further step, samples from partners or potential customers will be tested on the device to evaluate the application feasibility. The results will be validated by high-resolution and mainstream sizing techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Coulter counter.
In the Netherlands approximately 2 million inhabitants have one or more disabilities. However, just like most people they like to travel and go on holiday.In this project we have explored the customer journey of people with disabilities and their families to understand their challenges and solutions (in preparing) to travel. To get an understanding what ‘all-inclusive’ tourism would mean, this included an analysis of information needs and booking behavior; traveling by train, airplane, boat or car; organizing medical care and; the design of hotels and other accommodations. The outcomes were presented to members of ANVR and NBAV to help them design tourism and hospitality experiences or all.
Gemeenten willen weten hoe zij ervoor kunnen zorgen dat huishoudens blijvend hun afval scheiden in diverse fracties zoals papier, gft en plastic. Het gaat daarbij zowel om het verhogen van de hoeveelheid afval die gescheiden wordt, als het verlagen van de vervuiling van de gescheiden fracties. Er is al veel onderzoek verricht naar gedragsfactoren rond afvalscheiding. Toch bestaan er nog belangrijke hiaten in deze kennis, onder meer omtrent automatisch gedrag dat gedachteloos plaatsvindt. De afgelopen jaren is de aandacht vooral uitgegaan naar zogenaamde nudges die vrij geruisloos het gedrag ombuigen, zonder iets te veranderen aan de onderliggende motivatie. Mensen passen onbewust hun gedrag aan. Hierdoor blijken gedragsveranderingen niet altijd structureel verankerd te worden, omdat onderliggende waarden en motivatie niet veranderen. Een alternatief vormen interventies die het gewoontegedrag onderbreken en mensen laten reflecteren op hun gedrag (rational overrides). Door mensen te confronteren met hun eigen (milieuonvriendelijke) gedrag en te laten zien dat ze met ander gedrag een verschil kunnen maken, kan de onderliggende motivatie versterkt worden. BASSTA richt zich op deze rational overrides. Deze worden ontworpen en getest in nauwe samenwerking tussen industrieel ontwerpers en gedragspsychologen van de HvA, samen met betrokken partners. Eerst op kleine schaal en later met veldtests in geselecteerde wijken van de deelnemende gemeenten Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Alphen a/d Rijn en Almere. Dit leidt uiteindelijk tot een overzicht van interventies, en hoe deze in de praktijk toegepast kunnen worden ter verbetering van de afvalscheiding. Het interdisciplinaire onderzoek richt zich op hoogbouw en gestapelde bouw, waar het verbeteren van afvalscheiding extra lastig blijkt te zijn door de beperkte ruimte voor afvalbakken en de afstand tot inzamelpunten buiten de woning. Het onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd met genoemde gemeenten, publieke instellingen op het gebied van afval (ROVA, Rijkswaterstaat, NVRD, MilieuCentraal, VVM) en gespecialiseerde adviseurs (Giraf Results, De Afvalspiegel).
