Quality of post-purchase services : Analyzing service quality through touch points Case, Anttila Oy Rovaniemi
Sarvi, Sonja (2014)
Lapin ammattikorkeakoulu
2014
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014060111268
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2014060111268
Tiivistelmä
The focus of this thesis research is on the quality of customer service. The specific objectives of this research are to find out the key touch points in post-purchase services by using customer interviews and to clarify whether the employees have different perceptions of the key touch points than customers.
The research questions are as follows 1) What are the key touch points according to customers and employees? 2) What are the employees’ perceptions of post-purchase touch points and how do these perceptions differ from those of the customers? and 3) How does the current service quality supports positive post-purchase customer experience?
The case company of this thesis research is Anttila Oy Rovaniemi. The methodology used in is based on qualitative and quantitative methods. The data collection method includes test purchases, interviews and questionnaires to ensure the appropriateness of the data. The theory framework in this case is the theory of touch points in customer service experience. Customers and employees were asked to share their needs and perceptions of the touch points that matter the most in customer experience. The results were compared to clarify employees’ perception of post-purchase touch points and how their perceptions differed from those of the customers.
The research identified the key post-purchase touch points from the customers’ and employees’ points of view. Based on the collected data, the differences between customers’ needs and employees’ perception of customer need were pointed out. An action plan summarizes the needed actions to improve customer experience in the case company. Information in chapters 4, 5 and 6 is regarded as intra-company knowledge that is not public knowledge. Due to the issue of confidentiality, the topics in chapter 4, chapter 5 and chapter 6 are not published through the Lapland University of Applied Sciences Library database.
The research questions are as follows 1) What are the key touch points according to customers and employees? 2) What are the employees’ perceptions of post-purchase touch points and how do these perceptions differ from those of the customers? and 3) How does the current service quality supports positive post-purchase customer experience?
The case company of this thesis research is Anttila Oy Rovaniemi. The methodology used in is based on qualitative and quantitative methods. The data collection method includes test purchases, interviews and questionnaires to ensure the appropriateness of the data. The theory framework in this case is the theory of touch points in customer service experience. Customers and employees were asked to share their needs and perceptions of the touch points that matter the most in customer experience. The results were compared to clarify employees’ perception of post-purchase touch points and how their perceptions differed from those of the customers.
The research identified the key post-purchase touch points from the customers’ and employees’ points of view. Based on the collected data, the differences between customers’ needs and employees’ perception of customer need were pointed out. An action plan summarizes the needed actions to improve customer experience in the case company. Information in chapters 4, 5 and 6 is regarded as intra-company knowledge that is not public knowledge. Due to the issue of confidentiality, the topics in chapter 4, chapter 5 and chapter 6 are not published through the Lapland University of Applied Sciences Library database.