Strategic B2B customer experience management: the importance of outcomes-based measures

Zolkiewski, Judy; Story, Victoria; Burton, Jamie; Chan, Paul; Gomes, Andre; Hunter-Jones, Philippa; O�Malley, Lisa; Peters, Linda D.; Raddats, Chris; Robinson, William

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critique the adequacy of efforts to capture the complexities of customer experience in a business-to-business (B2B) context using input–output measures. The paper introduces a strategic customer experience management framework to capture the complexity of B2B service interactions and discusses the value of outcomes-based measurement.
Design/methodology/approach

This is a theoretical paper that reviews extant literature related to B2B customer experience and asks fresh questions regarding B2B customer experience at a more strategic network level.
Findings

The paper offers a reconceptualisation of B2B customer experience, proposes a strategic customer experience management framework and outlines a future research agenda.
Research limitations/implications

This paper is conceptual and seeks to raise questions surrounding the under-examined area of B2B customer experience. As a consequence, it has inevitable limitations resulting from the lack of empirical evidence to support the reconceptualisation.
Practical implications

Existing measures of customer experience are problematic when applied in a B2B (services) context. Rather than adopting input- and output-based measures, widely used in a business-to-consumer (B2C) context, a B2B context requires a more strategic approach to capturing and managing customer experience. Focussing on strategically important issues should generate opportunities for value co-creation and are more likely to involve outcomes-based measures.
Social implications

Improving the understanding of customer experience in a B2B context should allow organisations to design better services and consequently enhance the experiences of their employees, their customers and other connected actors.
Originality/value

This paper critiques the current approach to measuring customer experience in a B2B context, drawing on contemporary ideas of value-in-use, outcomes-based measures and “Big Data” to offer potential solutions to the measurement problems identified.

Citation

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. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2016-0350

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 21, 2017
• Publication Date: Apr 10, 2017
• Deposit Date: May 17, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: May 17, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Services Marketing
• Print ISSN: 0887-6045
• Electronic ISSN: 0887-6045
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 172-184
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2016-0350
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/843361
• Publisher URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/JSM-10-2016-0350
• Additional Information: Precise date of publication is estimated.