Requirement specifications for customer intelligence to improve marketing, customer service and company brand image

Abstract

This thesis was conducted for a global healthcare distribution company. The case company did not want to reveal its identity in this thesis for business secrecy reasons and therefore the company was labelled as Company X. Company X provides healthcare products, medical devices and services to the international healthcare market. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the requirements for customer intelligence to improve Company X marketing, customer service, and brand image to remain competitive and enable market expansion. The thesis investigated what customers think about the current brand of the company by evaluating brand equity, brand image, marketing channel migration, product and service quality, sales contact channels, and what purchase marketing channels are needed so that customers would eventually replace the traditional marketing channels. The important theoretical concepts in this study are brand equity, brand Image, marketing intelligence, service quality, marketing channel migration and brand association. The research was conducted as mixed model research including a quantitative questionnaire complemented with a qualitative analysis of internal complaint reports. The respondents were selected by randomized cluster sampling from various departments and international locations with a total sample rate of 18 of 20 (n=18; 90%). The result of this study reveals that respondents found the brand status for Company X to be moderate to strong consisting of good quality product assortment and moderate to excellent pricing. Respondents also found it important to focus upon product pricing, quality and expertise to enhance customer experience and company brand value. The most valued ways of contacting customers according to respondents was by e-mail or phone calls, but also F2F visits, newsletters, exhibitions and various digital platforms were highly valued. Respondents found it important that digital marketing channels needed more diversity for channel migration to become more effective for Company X. Keywords: Brand equity, market Intelligence, brand image, service quality, marketing channel migration