Improving Customer Satisfaction Through Customer - Front Line Employee Communication : Communication Guide for B2B Service Environment
Välilä, Markus (2017)
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Lataukset:
Välilä, Markus
Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201705219189
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201705219189
Tiivistelmä
This thesis designs a customer-front line employee communication guide to a company selling B2B Services. The company in question uses service quality as a competitive advantage. Service quality can be measured by measuring customer satisfaction. There was a clear need for improving customer satisfaction. Communication is a key aspect, affecting customer satisfaction. Accordingly, a communication guide was designed to improve customer satisfaction.
This study was conducted as action research. Customer satisfaction index survey results were used as a starting point for the improvement project. The main problem areas were identified and used as basis for research of available knowledge in literature. The literature focused mainly on how communication relates to customer satisfaction, in addition to value creation and relationship sales. The literature further covered increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty, and eliminating conflict. The available knowledge was used as a basis for key stakeholder interviews. Key stakeholder insights were collected in two workshops, with two participants in each and two face-face interviews. The interview results were combined with the literature findings and CSI data. The result of this combination was used to build an initial communication guide. The initial guide was introduced to the key stakeholders to gather feedback. This feedback was the basis for the final communication guide proposal.
The study concludes on the notion of communication being a repetitious loop. This loop can be used by the front line employees, to improve the customer experience, by deepening the relationship, according to relationship sales tactics. The ultimate goal is to improve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
The outcome of this thesis is a communication guide on customer-front line employee communication. This communication guide can be used to train new front line employees to communicate in a way that increases customer satisfaction. It also gives the new employees an overall idea of correct conduct at the front line. It can also be used in follow up training of front line employees.
This study was conducted as action research. Customer satisfaction index survey results were used as a starting point for the improvement project. The main problem areas were identified and used as basis for research of available knowledge in literature. The literature focused mainly on how communication relates to customer satisfaction, in addition to value creation and relationship sales. The literature further covered increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty, and eliminating conflict. The available knowledge was used as a basis for key stakeholder interviews. Key stakeholder insights were collected in two workshops, with two participants in each and two face-face interviews. The interview results were combined with the literature findings and CSI data. The result of this combination was used to build an initial communication guide. The initial guide was introduced to the key stakeholders to gather feedback. This feedback was the basis for the final communication guide proposal.
The study concludes on the notion of communication being a repetitious loop. This loop can be used by the front line employees, to improve the customer experience, by deepening the relationship, according to relationship sales tactics. The ultimate goal is to improve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
The outcome of this thesis is a communication guide on customer-front line employee communication. This communication guide can be used to train new front line employees to communicate in a way that increases customer satisfaction. It also gives the new employees an overall idea of correct conduct at the front line. It can also be used in follow up training of front line employees.