Improving the Customer Experience at the Olympia Terminal of the Port of Helsinki
Hanhirova, Piia (2020)
Hanhirova, Piia
2020
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020053115651
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020053115651
Tiivistelmä
Traditionally, the passenger terminals are considered merely as pass through venues. Port of Helsinki wants to change that conception and develop the port and its passenger terminals’ overall service offering, as well as to contribute positively to locals’ daily lives.
The purpose of this research-oriented service design project was to improve the customer experience at Olympia Terminal of the Port of Helsinki. The research objectives were set out to be two-fold. First, the current customer experience of the foot passengers at the Olympia Terminal was investigated by mapping the pains and gains in the current-state customer experience as well as by ideating a future-state ideal customer journey with the help of service design methods, e.g. co-creation workshop. Second, the state of customer centricity at Port of Helsinki was examined with the help of a research by Hemel & Rademakers (2016).
Theoretical framework for this thesis draws from the service marketing research, service- and customer-dominant logics, value creation and customer centric approach. Methodological approach is qualitative benefiting from the field of design thinking and service design. Research data was gathered through desk research, thematic interviews, observations, autoethnography and co-creation workshop. Interview data was analyzed through content analysis. Service design tools used included persona creation, current- and future-state journey maps, empathy mapping, how might we -questions and ideation. With the outcomes, more aligned conversations can take place with a customer focus in cross-functional teams at Port of Helsinki.
Three objectives were identified and achieved in this service design project. First, Port of Helsinki moved towards more customer centric development by interviewing, analyzing and involving both the customers and stakeholders. Second, Port of Helsinki gained a reference case from the first in-house designer project of which the experience and expertise is scalable in the organization. Third, the pains and gains of the foot passengers at Olympia Terminal were identified and new development ideas were created which can be taken into use as part of the future work of the passenger development services.
This thesis has also shown that value creation is intertwined in both concepts of customer experience and customer centricity. When the customer centricity is a default way of doing things in an organization, also the customer experience will most likely be improved. It is then based on a holistic understanding of who the customer is, and what his/her needs are, and can be considered at every level and by each employee within an organization.
The purpose of this research-oriented service design project was to improve the customer experience at Olympia Terminal of the Port of Helsinki. The research objectives were set out to be two-fold. First, the current customer experience of the foot passengers at the Olympia Terminal was investigated by mapping the pains and gains in the current-state customer experience as well as by ideating a future-state ideal customer journey with the help of service design methods, e.g. co-creation workshop. Second, the state of customer centricity at Port of Helsinki was examined with the help of a research by Hemel & Rademakers (2016).
Theoretical framework for this thesis draws from the service marketing research, service- and customer-dominant logics, value creation and customer centric approach. Methodological approach is qualitative benefiting from the field of design thinking and service design. Research data was gathered through desk research, thematic interviews, observations, autoethnography and co-creation workshop. Interview data was analyzed through content analysis. Service design tools used included persona creation, current- and future-state journey maps, empathy mapping, how might we -questions and ideation. With the outcomes, more aligned conversations can take place with a customer focus in cross-functional teams at Port of Helsinki.
Three objectives were identified and achieved in this service design project. First, Port of Helsinki moved towards more customer centric development by interviewing, analyzing and involving both the customers and stakeholders. Second, Port of Helsinki gained a reference case from the first in-house designer project of which the experience and expertise is scalable in the organization. Third, the pains and gains of the foot passengers at Olympia Terminal were identified and new development ideas were created which can be taken into use as part of the future work of the passenger development services.
This thesis has also shown that value creation is intertwined in both concepts of customer experience and customer centricity. When the customer centricity is a default way of doing things in an organization, also the customer experience will most likely be improved. It is then based on a holistic understanding of who the customer is, and what his/her needs are, and can be considered at every level and by each employee within an organization.