Your task is to develop a report detailing the current customer experience and offer at least three insightful, justified recommendations for the future management of customer experience. This involves:
· Conducting your own qualitative research into customers and CX
· One persona
· A CX journey map
· Three recommendations
PURPOSE AND OUTCOMES OF THE ASSESSMENT TASK
There is belief that strong positive experiences in the customer journey will lead to improvements in the bottom line, higher conversion rates at multiple touchpoints, improved customer loyalty and word-of-mouth (Homburg, Jozic and Kuehnl 2015). Therefore being able to manage the customer experience is a valuable skill.
This assessment piece also adds another two capabilities (developing a persona and constructing the journey map) to your skillset.
Business Capabilities (AoL goals): KS (1.1, 1.2), HO (2.1, 2.2), PC (3.1)
Related Unit learning outcomes:
1. Integrate the theory, principles and practices of IMC and apply it to a contemporary business context.
3. Apply research to develop a customer persona and map its journey across brand touchpoints for a client.
4. Communicate professionally and depict complex ideas in a simplified, visual form.
DETAILS
· DUE WEEK 13 – CHECK BLACKBOARD FOR DETAILS.
· 40%.
· 2000 WORDS (TABLES INCLUDED)
· PRESENTED IN A REPORT FORMAT
· SUBMITTED VIA TURNITIN ON BLACKBOARD PAGE UNDER ASSESSMENT 3
· You are not to contact the client for any additional information.
You need to present this assignment in a report format. You are not required to include an introduction or executive summary, but you can do so if you wish and if it fits within your word count.
Write this report as if the client was reading it. The look and tone of the report is professional.
Be mindful of the word count. Write succinctly and use dot points where appropriate. Tables are also acceptable.
1. RESEARCH INTO CX 10 MARKS
· You are to conduct research into the CX.
· Start with secondary research and find out whatever you can about the customer, the product and the experience.
· To do this, use databases like IBISWorld available through the QUT library https://www.library.qut.edu.au/search/howtofind/industrymarket/
· Then conduct some quick, easy, valuable qualitative research.
· This could include three interviews or an in-depth observation of the CX.
· Do not use surveys. It must be “rich” data that describes the multi-dimensionality of the experience – the thoughts, feelings, actions, senses and social relatedness.
· You can use direct quotes from de-identified participants as evidence for your research.
· Don’t forget to include your findings from your SML study.
· You must comply with the requirements of ethical clearance. Print up the participant consent forms and submit them with your assignment.
· Make sure that you reference where you got your information from. If you are discussing a particular website, make sure that you include the link. If you are referring to your interview results, then you need to reference your research such as “Interview with Customer 2, May 29, 20XX”. If the reader is unclear of where the information came from then you haven’t referenced correctly.
2. PERSONA DEVELOPMENT 10 MARKS
· Use the Five-Step process you practiced in Tutorial 2 to develop your persona.
· Make sure you provide a written description of the five steps – Who are they? What do they do? What are their needs or goals? What’s stopping them? What are their burning questions?
· Then use that description to build your Persona template. The template used in Tutorial 2 is provided on Blackboard, under Assessment 3.
· While there are a number of different types of personas for our client, you are to develop only one persona.
· Make sure that you paint a complete picture of the customer, including who they are, what they aspire to and what their pain points are.
3. CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP 10 MARKS
· Map the Customer Journey for your Persona, described in Part 2.
· This journey should extend from pre-purchase to experience to post-purchase.
· Use the process practiced in Tutorial 5. This eight-step process is: 1. Start with research; 2. Define behavioural stages from the customer’s perspective; 3. Capture customer considerations; 4. Detail every touchpoint; 5. Map out the customer pain points; 6. Chart the changing customer emotions; 7. Consider what other detail can be added to the map; 8. Outline any opportunities for improvement.
· The journey map can be whatever shape or style you like. A number of alternatives are provided in the Tutorial 5 slides which are available on Blackboard under Assessment 3.
4. RECOMMENDATIONS 5 MARKS
· You are to present at least three recommendations for the client
· Make sure that your recommendations are relevant to managing the customer experience using IMC (not other, general marketing or product recommendations)
· You are to justify these recommendations using the findings from your research, your persona and especially the customer journey map. There must be a link between the research you conduct, the persona you develop, the journey map you chart and the recommendations you make.
· Make sure you address pain points or timing issues or customer satisfaction or any issues that emerge in Parts 1 to 3.
· Make sure that you are making recommendations for the future not focusing on what has happened in the past.
· Look at our Learning Advisor Carmen’s resources about how to make a recommendation.
5. PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATIONS 5 MARKS
· Is your report within the 2000-word limit? Referencing and the reference list are not included in the word count.
· At least six references, including academic journals and industry reports, are required in this assessment piece.
· Make sure you reference your secondary research sources or supporting evidence you include.
· Does your report read well and have you checked spelling and grammar?
· Consider the ‘so what’ rule. If you mention something in this report there must be a reason so don’t just make a statement, tell us why this is relevant or important to know.
· Have you included page numbers?
· Please upload this as PDF as this is a more professional format and you will avoid any formatting issues.
SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT
· Check the due date and time on Blackboard in Assessment 3.
· Please don’t leave uploading your assignment until the last minute. Assignments might take a long while to upload if there is high demand in the system.
· If you do have issues uploading your assignment, email your Assessment 3 to your tutor before the submission time, otherwise we cannot accept it. Keep trying to upload it after you have emailed your tutor so he or she can mark it on Turnitin.
· If you have submission dramas contact the people at IT services straight away. That way you will have evidence that you have attempted to submit it before the due time.
· If you are unwell, or have an issue that makes it difficult to submit it on time (bad time management and lots of other assignments don’t count as an appropriate excuse) make sure that you apply for an extension before the due time. You have a couple of days to provide supporting evidence (like a doctors or councillors letter) but your submission of the application must be before the due date.
· If you have an extension, make sure that you email your tutor your assessment and also upload it on Turnitin. You MUST include your approval for late submission form.
· Any assessment submitted after the due date and time is an automatic zero. This is a QUT Policy.