Strategic B2B customer experience management: the importance of outcomes-based measures

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critique the adequacy of efforts to capture the complexities of customer experience (CE) in a business-to-business (B2B) context using input-output measures. The paper introduces a strategic customer experience management framework to capture the complexity of B2B service interactions and discusses the value of outcomesbased measurement. Design/Methodology/ApproachThis is a theoretical paper that reviews extant literature related to B2B customer experience and asks fresh questions regarding B2B customer experience at a more strategic network level. FindingsThe paper offers a reconceptualisation of B2B customer experience, proposes a strategic customer experience management framework, and outlines a future research agenda. Research Limitations/ImplicationsThis paper is conceptual and seeks to raise questions surrounding the under-examined area of B2B customer experience. It offers a framework that is propositional in nature and will thus benefit from further empirical interrogation. Practical ImplicationsExisting measures of customer experience are problematic when applied in a B2B (services) context. Rather than adopting input-and output-based measures, widely used in a businessto-consumer (B2C) context, a B2B context requires a more strategic approach to capturing and managing customer experience. Focusing on strategically important issues should generate opportunities for value co-creation and are more likely to involve outcomes-based measures. Social ImplicationsImproving understanding of customer experience in a B2B context should allow organisations to design better services and consequently enhance the experiences of their employees, their customers and other connected actors. This paper critiques the current approach to measuring customer experience in a B2B context, drawing on contemporary ideas of value-in-use, outcomes-based measures, and 'big data' to offer potential solutions to the measurement problems identified. Originality/Value

Building Competitive Advantage Through Customer Experience Management

“…Based on another fashion industry research, Varshneya & Das (2017) recommend companies to identify and invest in value creation opportunities, for example, the design of the experience, to increase purchase intention. In relation to this recommendation, Pandey & Mookerjee (2017) and Zolkiewski et al (2017) verified connections between customer experience, value and purchase intention in the B2B market. Dacko (2017) then identifies increased value from retail settings when the shopping experience is enriched by the mobile augmented reality shopping apps.…”

Contemporary Quality Management Model of Professional Services in B2c and B2b Systems Cooperation

“…− no-cyclic nature of the transaction, − customers buy products and services for individual use, − all customers pay exactly the same price for selected products, − after the end of the service, the customer pays cash, − offer is an uncomplicated. By character, the B2B and B2C are two completely different types of relationships in creating cooperation between entities -there is no possibility of confusion between one type of relationship with another (Zolkiewski et al, 2017). The most important thing is that the basic difference in the B2B and B2C segments is the nature of the needs that in both cases try to meet.…”

Challenges of Total Customer Experience (TCX): Measurement beyond Touchpoints

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