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

Judy Zolkiewski (Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)
Victoria Story (School of Business and Economics, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK)
Jamie Burton (Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)
Paul Chan (School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)
Andre Gomes (Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)
Philippa Hunter-Jones (Management School, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK)
Lisa O’Malley (Department of Management and Marketing, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland)
Linda D. Peters (Business School, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK)
Chris Raddats (University of Liverpool Management School, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK)
William Robinson (School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK)

Journal of Services Marketing

ISSN: 0887-6045

Article publication date: 10 April 2017

10169

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.

Keywords

Citation

Zolkiewski, J., Story, V., Burton, J., Chan, P., Gomes, A., Hunter-Jones, P., O’Malley, L., Peters, L.D., Raddats, C. and Robinson, W. (2017), "Strategic B2B customer experience management: the importance of outcomes-based measures", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 172-184. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2016-0350

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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