COURSE SYLLABUS Customer Experience Management / CRM Course code: MKT 323/MKT 523 Semester and year: Summer 2, 2015 Day and time: Monday / Wednesday, 18:00 21:10 Lecturer: Gabriele Meissner, MBA Lecturer contact: gabriele.meissner@aauni.edu Skype: gabymeissner (by appointments!) Cell: +420 777 630 208 (if you send text messages send your name and class number!) Consultation hours: Monday/Wednesday, 17:30 / by appointment Semester Credits 3 Language of Instruction English ECTS 6 Level Advanced Length 6 weeks Pre-requisites MKT248 Contact hours 42 hours Course type MA/BA Elective 1. Course Description Creating compelling customer experiences is one of the most important current trends in marketing, which has also arrived in mainstream marketing consulting. Firms like KPMG and Ernst & Young offer programs to help their clients develop and maintain holistic customer centric marketing approaches which use innovative tools and methods, including Big Data. Customer expectations have changed tremendously mainly due to the rise and everpresence of the Internet. Online, offline, B2C (business-to-consumer) or B2B (business-tobusiness) in all areas customers assess and value holistic seamless experiences, at the core of which is the expectation that all business interactions should be easy, reliable and pleasant. Creating compelling customer experiences has become an innovative way to gain sustainable competitive advantage. In a global economy, in which technology advantage and product life cycles are constantly decreasing, the way how to market products and services, and how to design internal processes which have impact on customer relationships, has become more relevant than ever. We also know more than ever about consumer behavior and preferences. Current advances in Neuroscience and Behavioral Economics provide insights how to attract and retain customers, what shapes their buying behavior, what they expect and how to meet these expectations long-term. Customer Experience Management (CEM) is a strategic direction firms take to meet the new every-changing needs of their target customers. CEM offers an innovative approach to how to assess, create and evaluate all processes related to customer experiences. It is a holistic approach and involves the whole organization. Neuroscience and Behavioral Economics tell us that firms can no longer expect customer decisions to be based on communicating narrow rational facts and arguments. Holistic 1
experiences take all human senses into account which, perhaps surprisingly, is equally important in B2B settings. Innovative brand marketing tries to connect with customers emotions, thoughts, cravings, physical needs and senses like touching, feeling or smelling. The challenge is to create processes and environments in which customers love to do business, in which doing business and interactions are easy and even, possibly, fun. CEM is a new way of integrating technical possibilities, face-to-face relationships and social skills to create new opportunities. To do so firms need to create processes in which each and every step is consciously designed. CRM, (Customer Relationship Management) offers the technical backbone for the customer experience. Even though many organizations today use CRM-systems, the necessary holistic approach is still not generally accepted. Flaws in implementation (including training) and lack of strategic goals are still common. The course evaluates the challenges and opportunities CEM offers. It will explore the strategies and concepts of customer experience management. Students will learn how to create compelling experiences along the whole process of customer touch-points, the customer journey. It will especially cover the meaning and impact new research in Neuroscience and Behavioral Economics has on consumer behavior and loyalty and how neuromarketing can make use of these findings while maintaining ethical standards. It will explore the use of CRM systems to optimize the efficiency, especially of sales organizations, and how technology can support the development and implementation of growth strategies. It will discuss implementation processes and the necessary change management programs to achieve a broad acceptance and understanding of CEM and CRM in the whole organization. 1. Student Learning Outcomes By the end of this course, students should be able to: Know and apply the most important tools and techniques used to create compelling customer experiences Know and be able to apply the Design Thinking Method for creating growth and marketing strategies Know and be able to use in creating customer experiences the latest research on consumer behavior, human decision making Know the difference between B2C and B2B settings and its implication for CEM Know and apply the strategy of CEM/CRM in marketing and management in general Know how to analyze and change the customer journey map A major component of the course is the use and application of the Design Thinking Method. 2. Reading Material Required Materials (Available in the Library or to Download) Recommended books: Liedtka, J., Ogilvie, T., Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers, 2011 Liedtka, J. et al., The Designing for Growth Fieldbook, 2015 Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Business Model Generation, Hoboken, 2010 2
Osterwalder, A., Peigneur, Y., Value Proposition Design, 2015 Schmitt, B., Customer Experience Management, 2003 Schmitt, B., Experiential Marketing, 1999 Reading list will be provided separately on course website. Recommended Materials (Available in the Library or via Interlibrary Loan) Akerlof, G., Kranton, R., Identity Economics, 2010 Ariely, D., Predictably Irrational, 2009 Arthur, L., Big Data Marketing, 2013 Birkinshaw, J., Reinventing Management, 2012 Dooley, R., Brainfluence, 2011 Duhigg, Ch., The Power of Habit, 2012 Dunn, E., Norton, M., Happy Money, 2013 Gigerenzer, G., Gut Feeling, 2007 Gino, F., Sidetracked, 2013 Hamel, G., The Future of Management, 2007 Hsieh, T., Delivering Happiness, 2010 Kawasaki, G., Enchantment, 2011 Kawasaki, G., Fitzpatrick, P., The Art of Social Media, 2014 Lindström, M., Buyology, 2008 Michelli, J., The Zappos Experience 5 Principles to Inspire, Engage, and Wow, 2011 Newbery, P., Farnham, K., Experience Design, 2013 Pink, D., A Whole New Mind, New York, 2006 Porter, M., Competitive Advantage, New York, 1985 Porter, M., Competitive Strategy, New York, 1980 Soudagar, R. et al., The Customer Experience Edge, 2012 Thaler, R., Sunstein, C., Nudge, 2008 Wiersema, F., How to Design a Great Customer Experience, 2011 WEBSITES: www.ideo.com www.alexanderosterwalder.com Jeanne Liedtka on Design Thinking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibajcpnr6m IBM Customer Experience Suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yruhne62iqo&spfreload=10 CRM Example: Salesforce.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tu1zj1xghm&spfreload=10 http://www.martinlindstrom.com http://guykawasaki.com/speeches/ 3. Teaching methodology In this course, you will participate in the following activities designed to enhance your learning throughout the subject: In-class discussions related to the lecture, cases and videos; debates; Experiential exercises; feedback on the consultancy project; feedback on individual presentations and exercises, especially 1. Readings, lectures and project discussions 3
2. Team assignment on a CEM/CRM project and presentation during the course 3. An individual paper/project on CEM/CRM issues and presentation 4. Class discussions, individual and team exercises We will be taking an active learning approach in this class. Research has shown that active learning is more effective, and interesting for both the students and the instructor Successful active learning does require you to prepare for class every time. This means that you should do the readings before class each week, think about the issues, and be prepared to contribute to class discussions. My goal is to engage your interest and facilitate your learning through highly varied classroom and out-of classroom activities. I think it is important to provide expert, logically structured input via lectures, and to orchestrate frequent opportunities for you to participate, think, apply, test your understanding, and build skills via in-class activities. I intend to develop your skills beyond merely learning the material to becoming able to critically and selectively apply and adapt your knowledge to specific contexts and problems in the real world. The final team project provides a powerful opportunity to develop and test your skills and understanding of key course concepts. It will also give you an opportunity to collaborate in a virtual team and develop your project management skills. 4. Course Schedule 22.6.2015 Class 1: Class Information, Discussion on Class Expectations; Introduction to the strategy of CEM and CRM and the interdisciplinary relationship all this has with innovation management 24.6.2015 Class 2: Design Thinking for Growth: A structured process to create innovative marketing and growth strategies based on changing the perspective 29.6.2015 Class 3: Considering customers as members of tribes: An introduction into anthropological observation Assessment Procedure / Allocation of topics for individual presentations 1.7.2015 Class 4: Business Models and its impact on customer experience: Offline, online, B2C and B2B social media, platforms and merging offline and online experiences 4
6.7.2015 (public holiday make-up class will be organized) Class 5: The core of customer centric marketing strategies: Value Proposition Design 8.7.2015 Class 6: Some considerations on choice, happiness and Big Data : Consumer preferences, behavior and what current research means for the creation of compelling experiences 13.7.2015 Class 7: Mid-term Exam 15.7.2015 Class 8: Mapping the customer journey: Struggling through the process of interaction with a supplier methods and tools to analyze what s right and what s wrong 20.7.2015 Class 9: The customer journey map: How to design step-by-step experiences, which enchant customers and at the same time create new opportunities and lead to sustainable competitive advantage 22.7.2015 Class 10: Customer Relationship Management (CRM): What it means today, success factors and implementation 27.7.2015 Class 11: Taking the holistic view and looking into Management Innovation: Corporate and business strategy and how firms need to change to achieve the planned CEM/CRM goals July 29, 2015 Class 12: Final Exam Group Project Presentation Deadline for Group Project Paper 5
NB The sequence of topics might change due to possible research project and guest lecturers. 5. Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads) Assignment Preparation of readings and presentations: prepare in-class presentations on given readings; homework: written submittal of exercises Workload (average) Weight in Final Grade Evaluated Student Learning Outcomes 10 20% Summarize and present given academic articles and case studies to class to get familiar with current research and applications of concepts Mid-Term Test 20 30 % Based on a current case, students will learn to analyze a given situation, discuss CEM/CRM concepts and develop and propose their evaluation and solution Group Project / Presentation and Report 30 30 % Students learn to work in a virtual project team. They will research and assess the policies and activities of a company of their own choice and evaluate the organizations current behavior and make suggestions for further activities and/or change. Participation Readings 3h/weekly= 42 + 48 20 % Students learn to take a pro-active approach as well as professional behavior in class. TOTAL 150 100% No excuses for absence from the exam will be accepted; the dates are stated above and in the detailed assessment descriptions. Deadlines: Deadlines in business are critical. Each student is responsible for checking the class course space and their AAU Student e-mail box regularly, attending every class on time, and completing the assignment on time. Missing deadlines will drop your grade at least one letter grade down. No papers are accepted after the final class and group presentation. Completeness: I won t grade any assignments when they are not handed in complete at the deadline (this refers especially to the peer evaluations!) and in the required form. 6
Detailed description of the assignments Individual Presentations / Homework Students are asked to prepare a presentation based on given academic articles resp. case studies of max. 15 minutes followed by a discussion of max. 10 minutes for which they also need to prepare the questions and which they will facilitate. Each assignment comes with some questions, which the team needs to research and answer. I will decide the sequence of presentations in alignment with the syllabus. Requirements for the presentations: You need to write an abstract of one A4-page. All sources you might use to critically evaluate your readings must be valid academic/professional sources and named in the usual academic citation format as an appendix. This is also valid for Internet sources (don t base your presentation on Wikipedia!). Please format the presentation professionally, that means title (put a title on the abstract and peer evaluations as well, but separate it from your main paper), page numbers and your name on each page. You need to cover and structure your topic along certain critical questions, which you will develop on your own. Please note, that just presenting facts and figures will not meet the learning objectives and will only earn mediocre grades. I expect you to see your topic in a holistic context and also to critically evaluate the different concepts involved. Please prepare a PowerPoint presentation, and hand in a paper copy of your slides and your abstract after the presentation. Your hand-ins must be complete. Please prepare a set of open questions and facilitate the class discussion on your topic, and also hand in a copy of these questions. You are responsible for keeping within the time limit! Those who are not due to present will prepare the same readings as homework and submit a summary as email to me to a given date. The assignments and dates will be posted on the course website. Individual Presentations Assessment Breakdown Assessed area Percentage Structure of the presentation, valid sources named 30 % Critical analysis, coherence, quality of examples 25 % Facilitation of discussion 15 % Keeping the deadline 15 % 7
Meet all requirements, submit all required documents 10 % (completeness) especially handing in peer-evaluations as a complete print-out Time Management 5 % Homework Assessment Breakdown Assessed Area Keep the deadline 30% Meet all the requirements 30% Critical analysis, coherence 30% Completeness 10% 100 % Percentage 100% Mid-Term Exam: July 13, 2015 Assessment Breakdown Based on a current case, students will learn to analyze a given situation, discuss CEM/CRM concepts and develop and propose their evaluation and solution. Assessed area Structure, reference to literature 20 % Analysis, coherence, conclusions 30 % Application of concepts and methods 30 % Completeness, meeting formal requirements 20 % Percentage 100 % Final Exam / Group Research Project: Final Presentation July 29, 2015 The Group Project will be announced and detailed at the beginning of the term, as we will probably have a company research project. Final Group Research Project Assessment Breakdown Assessed area Percentage Structure of the paper, bibliography, valid sources 25 % Critical analysis, coherence, conclusions, recommendations 30 % 8
Professional formatting and keeping all formal requirements, 20 % abstract, cover page, table of content, abstract, peer evaluations Quality of presentation (focus, analysis, critical application of 15 % concepts and methods, time management) Project management and keeping the required deadlines 10 % 100 % The final Group Project Report must be written in an appropriate Business Report format as per the Business Report format handout, (also available on the class course space). Bibliography: All sources used must be referenced in an approved academic style using Harvard formatting with in-line citation (author, year, page number) and a complete bibliography (better, works cited) at the end of the paper. Information on proper Harvard citation is available on the class course space. Participation Participation is evaluated on the quality of your contribution to the learning experience of the class. Participating by actively responding to questions, asking questions yourself, and engaging in class discussions will help you earn your participation grade. Simply attending every class is not participation. If you are not sure, please ask your course leader what you can do to increase your participation. Note that the quality of your participation is not necessarily a function of the quantity of your participation. Your participation grade will be evaluated, (at the end of the course), as follows: Outstanding (90-100%): Contributions provided important insights for the class. Arguments were well supported (with evidence) and persuasively presented. If this student were not a member, the quality of the class would have been significantly less. Good (80-89%): Contributions were on target, fairly well supported and persuasive. If this student were not a member, the quality of the class would have been slightly less. Attending non-participant (70-79%): Contributed nothing to the class. The student attended every class but was silent and did not participate. Repetitive (-10%): If a student s class comments were repetitious and obvious and did not add value to the class. That is, you will be penalized for airtime without value. Unsatisfactory (-20%): Unsatisfactory contribution occurs due to inadequate preparation. If this student were not a member of the class, the quality of the discussions would have been enhanced. 9
Professional Behavior in Class Think of the following as an Employee Handbook setting out expected behavior and mutual obligations between us, similar to that which would exist between employer and employee. I undertake to treat students with respect, be well prepared for class at all times, provide extensive developmental feedback, and respond quickly to your inquiries. Reciprocity in the form of professional behavior is expected from you. You should behave as if employed by a major organization, taking responsibility for your actions and treating your colleagues with respect. Class will begin on time. Lateness, taking phone calls, sending SMSs, browsing the Internet or checking e-mails, private conversations especially during a presentation of your class mates wandering in and out at will, eating and other unprofessional behaviors are rude, inappropriate, disrupt the learning of others, and may result in sanctions being applied which will negatively affect your final course grade. Participation Assessment Breakdown Assessed area Attendance / being in time / appropriate behavior (see above) 20 % Quality and Quantity of contribution (see above) 30 % Focusing / concentration on class 20 % Be prepared for class incl. having done the reading 30 % Percentage 100 % The Importance of Taking Notes Students should come equipped to take notes at all sessions. Experience shows that learning any subject requires active involvement with the material: passively listening, or scanning documents even repeatedly, leaves little impression. (Still less does looking at your mobile phone, notebook / tablet PC during the lesson; students who do so are more likely to get poor grades or even fail.) The act of making one s own notes, by hand, has a magic effect of stimulating thought and understanding. Any student who takes the course seriously will need to take his or her own notes in the lessons, and his or her own notes on the textbook(s) and do further reading (i.e. from my handouts) and will need to revise those notes in preparation for the assignment. My lessons are no more than an introduction to a complex and demanding subject; and just reading my PowerPoint slides will not be enough to gain the necessary level of knowledge and understanding. Syllabus: The syllabus has been developed to provide students with a helpful guide for the course, but it does not function as a contract. The course leader reserves the right to make any necessary changes due to circumstances beyond control to any aspect of the course at any time, including student assessment. 10
General Requirements and School Policies All coursework is governed by AAU academic rules, and students are expected to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work. All students are expected to be familiar with the AAU academic rules available in the Student Handbook. Communication: The university and Course Leaders will use only the student s university email address for communication. Students are responsible for checking their university email accounts regularly. Email Protocol: When sending emails to instructor: 1. Students must identify in the subject line which course they are in e.g. Subject Line: MGT255: Question on Exam. 2. All files you might send need to be named with course number and your name. Files with unspecific names will be deleted and not accepted. Example: EssayNr1_MKT280_Smith.doc 3. DO NOT resend emails with a previous subject listed that is unrelated to the content of current email. They will be deleted and not read. Attendance is required. Students are allowed two unexcused absences. Unexcused absences above this number will result in a C grade or even in failure of the course. Mobile phones: must be turned off during class meetings. The penalty for breaking this policy is loss of participation points, at the instructor s discretion. Repeat offenders will be reported to the dean s office. Computers/tablets/smart phones: may be used only for course-related work. The penalty for breaking this policy is loss of participation points, at the instructor s discretion. Repeat offenders will be reported to the dean s office. Late work: The instructor must be notified in advance that work will be late. Depending on the assignment, the instructor may refuse to accept late assignments, or may levy an appropriate penalty in fairness to other students who submit their assignments on time. Missed exams: Students who miss an exam will receive a 0 grade. Make-up exams are given for extenuating circumstances (medical reasons with SBA-approved documentation, death in the family, etc.) with the approval of the SBA office. Cheating and plagiarism: AAU strictly enforces its policy against cheating and plagiarism. Full policy is available in the Student Handbook. Briefly: Cheating and plagiarism results in the failing grade from the assignment at minimum, it may lead to suspension from the university. To prevent any misunderstanding, plagiarism is defined: PLAGIARISM the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one s own original work. - Taken from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2 nd Edition, Random House, New York, 1993. Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities are asked to contact their Course Leader as soon as possible to discuss reasonable accommodation. 11
Grading Scale Letter Grade Percentage Description A 95 100 Excellent performance. The student has shown originality A- 90 94 and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject. B+ 87 89 Good performance. The student has mastered the material, B 83 86 understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort. B- 80 82 C+ 77 79 Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable C 73 76 understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course, but has not succeeded in translating this C- 70 72 understanding into consistently creative or original work. D+ 65 69 Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the D 60 64 material and subject matter covered during the course. The student s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives. F 0-59 Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course. Prepared by: Gabriele Meissner, MBA Approved by: Chris Shallow BA MSc, 3 rd April 2015 and Miroslav Svoboda, Ph.D., 16 th April 2015 12