Customer Experience Management in Maritime Transport Industry
Subject Areas : Improving services and increasing customer satisfaction
Hoda Zadvan
1
,
bahram kheiri
2
,
بهروز قاسمی
3
1 - Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management, Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University.
2 - management faculity, university of Azad
3 - گروه مدیریت بازرگانی،واحدتهران مرکزی،دانشگاه آزاداسلامی،تهران،ایران
Keywords: Customer experience, Customer journey, Touch points, Maritime Transport,
Abstract :
The maritime transport industry is one of the economic infrastructures of every country and one of the main pillars of international trade development. The purpose of current research is to identify the nature and dimensions of customer experience management in maritime transport industry based on the customer journey approach. For this purpose, according to the theoretical gap regarding the subject of the research, a qualitative research method of Grounded theory was used. Data were selected using purposive and theoretical sampling method. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with executive managers of manufacturing, trading and forwarding companies that use the container line of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping lines to transport export and import goods. After conducting 22 interviews, theoretical adequacy achieved. The results of data coding and analysis indicate that the dimensions of customer experience management in the maritime transport industry include the quality of marine transportation, terminal performance in ports, customer service performance and sales force performance, online service provision, and representatives' performance. According to the findings of the research, customer experience management is classified into three stages: Pre-sea transport, sea transport and post-sea transport. Then, the features of customer's touch points with the organization and the challenges faced by customers at each stage are reviewed and discussed.
Akaka, M. A., Vargo, S. L., & Schau, H. J. (2015). The context of experience. Journal of Service Management. Doi: 10.1108/JOSM-10-2014-0270.
Altunel, M. C., & Erkurt, B. (2015). Cultural tourism in Istanbul: The mediation effect of tourist experience and satisfaction on the relationship between involvement and recommendation intention. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 4(4), 213-221. Doi: 10.1016/j.jdmm 2015.06.003.
Becker, L., & Jaakkola, E. (2020). Customer experience: fundamental premises and implications for research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(4), 630-648. Doi: 10.1007/s11747-019-00718-x.
Bolton, R. N., Gustafsson, A., McColl-Kennedy, J., Sirianni, N. J., & David, K. T. (2014). Small details that make big differences: A radical approach to consumption experience as a firm's differentiating strategy. Journal of ServiceManagement.Doi:10.1108/JOSM-01-2014-0034.
Chen, C. F., & Chen, F. S. (2010). Experience quality, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioral intentions for heritage tourists. Tourism management, 31(1), 29-35. Doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2009.02.008.
Ceesay, L. B. (2020). Building a high customer experience management organization: Toward customer-centricity. Jindal Journal of Business Research, 9(2), 162-175.
Cortez, R. M., & Johnston, W. J. (2017). The future of B2B marketing theory: A historical and prospective analysis. Journalof Industrial Marketing Management, 66(7), 90–102.Doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.07.017.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (2nd Ed.). And Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
De Keyser, A., Verleye, K., Lemon, K. N., Keiningham, T. L., & Klaus, P. (2020). Moving the customer experience field forward: introducing the touchpoints, context, qualities (TCQ) nomenclature. Journal of Service Research, 23(4), 433-455. Doi: 10.1177/1094670520928390
Frow, P., & Payne, A. (2007). Towards the ‘perfect’customer experience. Journal of Brand Management, 15(2), 89-101. Doi: 10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550120.
Folstad, A. & Kvale, K. (2018). Customer journeys: a systematic literature review, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 28 (2), 196-227. Doi: 10.1108/JSTP-11-2014-0261.
Grant, R., Clarke, R. J., & Kyriazis, E. (2013). Modelling real-time online information needs: A new research approach for complex consumer behaviour. Journal of marketing management, 29(7-8), 950-972. Doi:10.1080/0267257X.2011.621440.
Halvorsrud, R., Kvale, K., & Følstad, A. (2016). Improving service quality through customer journey analysis. Journal of service theory and practice, 26(6), 840-867. Doi: 10.1108/JSTP-05-2015-0111
Helkkula, A., Kelleher, C., & Pihlström, M. (2012). Characterizing value as an experience: implications for service researchers and managers. Journal of service research, 15(1), 59-75. Doi: 10.1177/1094670511426897.
Hirata, E. (2019). Service characteristics and customer satisfaction in the container liner shipping industry. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 35(1), 24-29. Doi: 10.1016/j.ajsl.2019.03.004
Homburg, C., Jozić, D., & Kuehnl, C. (2017). Customer experience management: toward implementing an evolving marketing concept. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 377-401. Doi: 10.1007/s11747-015-0460-7.
Hsu, C. L., & Ho, T. C. (2021). Evaluating Key Factors of Container Shipping Lines from the Perspective of High-Tech Industry Shippers. Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 29(1), 29-41. Doi: 10.51400/2709-6998.1002.
Jaakkola, E., & Terho, H. (2021). Service journey quality: conceptualization, measurement and customer outcomes. Journal of service management. 32(6), 1–27. DOI 10.1108/JOSM-06-2020-0233
Jain, R., Aagja, J., & Bagdare, S. (2017). Customer experience–a review and research agenda. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 27(3), 642-662. Doi.10.1108/JSTP-03-2015-0064
Kandampully, J., Zhang, T., & Jaakkola, E. (2018). Customer experience management in hospitality: A literature synthesis, new understanding and research agenda. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1), 21-56. Doi: 10.1108/IJCHM- 10-2015-0549.
Kavitha, S., & Haritha, P. (2018). A study on customer experience and its relationship withrepurchase intention among telecom subscribers in Coimbatore district. International Journal of Management Studies, 5(3), 83-91. Doi: 10.18843/ijms/v5i3(3)/11
Kranzbühler, A. M., Kleijnen, M. H., Morgan, R. E., & Teerling, M. (2018). The multilevel nature of customer experience research: an integrative review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), 433-456. Doi: 10.1111/ijmr.12140
Kuehnl, C., Jozic, D., & Homburg, C. (2019). Effective customer journey design: consumers’ conception, measurement, and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(3), 551-568. Doi: 10.1007/s11747-018-00625-7.
Kuppelwieser, V. G., & Klaus, P. (2021). Measuring customer experience quality: The EXQ scale revisited. Journal of Business Research, 126(C), 624-633.
Lam, J. S. L., & Zhang, X. (2019). Innovative solutions for enhancing customer value in liner shipping. Journal of Transport Policy, 82, 88–95. Doi: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2018.09.001
Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of marketing, 80(6), 69-96. Doi:10.1509/jm.15.0420
McColl-Kennedy, J. R., Zaki, M., Lemon, K. N., Urmetzer, F., & Neely, A. (2019). Gaining customer experience insights that matter. Journal of service research, 22(1), 8-26. Doi: 10.1177/1094670518812182
Ng, A. K., & Wilmsmeier, G. (2012). The geography of maritime transportation: space as a perspective in maritime transport research. Maritime Policy & Management, 39(2), 127-132. Doi.10.1080/03088839.2012.652504.
Payne, A., Frow, P., & Eggert, A. (2017). The customer value proposition: evolution, development, and application in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(4), 467-489. Doi: 10.1007/s11747-017-0523-z
Purmonen, A., Jaakkola, E., & Terho, H. (2023). B2B customer journeys: Conceptualization and an integrative framework. Industrial Marketing Management, 113, 74-87. Doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.05.020.
Rudkowski, J., Heney, C., Yu, H., Sedlezky, S., & Gunn, F. (2020). Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Mapping and modeling the pop-up retail customer journey. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 54, 101698. Doi: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.11.003
Rusthollkarhu, S., Toukola, S., Aarikka-Stenroos, L., & Mahlamäki, T. (2022). Managing B2B customer journeys in digital era: Four management activities with artificial intelligence-empowered tools. Industrial Marketing Management, 104, 241-257. Doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.04.014.
Roy, S., Sreejesh, S., & Bhatia, S. (2019). Service quality versus service experience: An empirical examination of the consequential effects in B2B services. Industrial Marketing Management.82, 52-59. Doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.02.17
Strauss A.L., Corbin, J.M. (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Sage publications.
Tueanrat, Y., Papagiannidis, S., & Alamanos, E. (2021). A conceptual framework of the antecedents of customer journey satisfaction in omnichannel retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 61, 102550.Doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102550.
Ulaga, W. (2018). The journey towards customer centricity and service growth 2B: a commentary and research directions. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science 8(1), 80–83. Doi: 10.1007/s13162-018-0119-x.
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2008). Service-dominant logic: Continuing the evolution. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 1–10. Doi: 10.1007/s11747-007-0069-6
Vural, C. A., Baştuğ, S., & Gülmez, S. (2021). Sustainable brand positioning by container shipping firms: Evidence from social media communications. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 97, 102938.
Witell, L., Kowalkowski, C., Perks, H., Raddats, C., Schwabe, M., Benedettini, O., & Burton, J. (2020). Characterizing customer experience management in business markets. Journal of Business Research, 116, 420-430. Doi:10.1016 j. jbusres.2019.08.050
Zomerdijk, L. G., & Voss, C. A. (2010). Service design for experience-centric services. Journal of Service Research, 13(1), 67-82. Doi: 10.1177/1094670509351960.
Zolkiewski, J., Story, V., Burton, J., Chan, P., Gomes, A., Hunter-Jones, P. …Robinson, W. (2017). Strategic B2B customer experience management: the importance of outcomes-based measures. Journal of Services Marketing, 31(2), 172-184. Doi: 10.1108/JSM-10-2016-0350
