Innovating Customer Experience -from a telecom industry perspective
InnovationCustomer experienceTelecom industryIndustry convergenceCommunications service providersManagement of enterprisesFöretagsledningManagementBusiness and Economics
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to identify and analyze innovative products and services within the telecom industry, letting these findings constitute possible ways for CSPs to innovate the experience of their customers. Methodology: The research in this thesis was conducted from a qualitative approach and data were collected using primary- (expert interviews) and secondary sources (journals, articles, web sites etcetera). In addition, a research design entailing four sequential steps was created to stipulate and illustrate the logic underpinning the methodological process. Theoretical perspectives: The theories are divided in three groups. Background theories ? these intend to capture the problematic nature of the transforming telecom industry, examples of such theories are; value chain theories and ecosystem theory. Key theories ? these provide tools to analyze and enhance the understanding of customer experience, these are; The New Frontier of Experience Innovation and How to Sustain Customer Experience. Complexity perspective ? these theories highlight the complexity that customer experience conveys. Conclusions: All mini cases have partners related to the development of the innovative product or service. Five out of six innovative products or services can be categorized as solutions innovations; one can be categorized as an experience innovation. Two out of the six experiential components presented by Gentile et al. are applicable to all mini cases. However, the other four (emotional-, cognitive-, lifestyle-, relational-) components are applicable only to various extent. Thus, if trying to differentiate when innovating the customer experience, these components ought to be emphasized. Customer involvement is a tendency noticed among the mini cases as an attempt to reduce complexity.