Integrating digital platforms to accelerate service development : a strategic case study of IGo Travel
Phan, Bao Yen (2025)
2025
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733287
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120733287
Tiivistelmä
Rapid digitalization of the global market made it imperative for service firms to strategically integrate digital platforms. The objective was to enhance service delivery and customer experience. The thesis studied the case of IGo Travel, a tourism firm that is pursuing accelerated service growth and internationalization. The key objective of this research was to develop a strategic integration model for the company's core platforms: Lark, CRM system, and social media. This model aimed at optimizing the whole service lifecycle by aligning the architecture of the platforms with core business goals and the firm's commitment to authentic customer experiences.
A two-phased qualitative research methodology has been employed. The initial research phase applied a comprehensive case study approach, supported by expert interviews and user surveys. These were used for diagnosing the platform fragmentation issue. This was followed by the design and implementation phase, where Service Design Thinking tools were applied to blueprint the integrated workflows and validate their practical application on the case company’s core process. Key concepts from Digital Platform Ecosystem theory, Service Design Thinking, and Internationalization models were synthesized in the theoretical framework.
The Strategic Integration Model that emerged from the approach provided an in-depth, actionable blueprint with great potential to optimize internal workflows, reduce data fragmentation, and smoothly map out customer journeys. The study concludes that such a design-led, strategically integrated platform architecture constitutes a critically essential precondition for service-based SMEs to scale up their operations successfully and gain a sustained competitive advantage in the digital economy.
A two-phased qualitative research methodology has been employed. The initial research phase applied a comprehensive case study approach, supported by expert interviews and user surveys. These were used for diagnosing the platform fragmentation issue. This was followed by the design and implementation phase, where Service Design Thinking tools were applied to blueprint the integrated workflows and validate their practical application on the case company’s core process. Key concepts from Digital Platform Ecosystem theory, Service Design Thinking, and Internationalization models were synthesized in the theoretical framework.
The Strategic Integration Model that emerged from the approach provided an in-depth, actionable blueprint with great potential to optimize internal workflows, reduce data fragmentation, and smoothly map out customer journeys. The study concludes that such a design-led, strategically integrated platform architecture constitutes a critically essential precondition for service-based SMEs to scale up their operations successfully and gain a sustained competitive advantage in the digital economy.