CIM Level 4 Certificate in Professional Marketing Customer Experience (2102) June 2015 Assignment The assignment comprises THREE compulsory tasks Task 1 is worth 25 marks Task 2 is worth 40 marks Task 3 is worth 25 marks 10 marks are available for format and communication of information Total marks available 100 Candidate guidance Answer all tasks The available marks are shown alongside each part of the task 10 marks are available for overall format and communication of information Read all tasks carefully before attempting them The Chartered Institute of Marketing 2015
Scenario: Customer experience is a potential source of competitive advantage for organisations in all sectors. Understanding customer expectations and the role played by marketing in the development of that understanding enables competitive advantage to be gained. Managing customer expectations is therefore a key consideration. In your role within the marketing function of your own organisation, or one of your choice, your manager has asked you to prepare a report for senior management which explores both the theory and the reality of customer experience in detail. Your report will describe, analyse and make recommendations on how customer experience can be enhanced, with reference to appropriate supporting theoretical frameworks. This assignment consists of three tasks and the report should flow as a single document. There are TEN marks available for the entire report where you will be rewarded for continuity of tasks, appropriate language and the format used. This is awarded under Format and communication of information. While it is helpful to include an introduction and summary in the report, these should be brief, with the main focus being on the content outlined in the assignment provided. FIVE marks will be awarded for the organisation summary, which should appear at the end of the main report, using the headings supplied as guidance. You should write this summary in report format rather than using bullet points. This is included in the marks allocated to the report in Task 1. You should acknowledge all sources/methodologies/applications, using the Harvard referencing system. Customer experience can be applied differently across B2B, B2C and not-for-profit organisations. Application to your chosen organisation is crucial to providing this context and understanding. Maximum page count: 12 pages Page 2 of 7
TASK 1 Assessment criteria covered in Task 1: AC1.1, AC1.2, AC1.3, AC1.4, AC2.2, AC2.4 Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details. Within your report you are required to understand and analyse how your chosen organisation is structured and managed to deliver effective customer experience within the organisation s marketplace. An important consideration is to demonstrate an understanding of customer expectations and an appreciation of the importance of fulfilling them, relating to developing customer loyalty and retention. Required: (a) Using the organisation summary guidelines, provide a background to your chosen organisation. This section should be placed at the end of your report. (b) Assess the role of the marketing function within your chosen organisation in developing an understanding of the expectations of TWO significant customer segments, considering the factors influencing the expectations. (7 marks) (c) Discuss the interaction between quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty, based on the information obtained in relation to factors affecting customer experience. (8 marks) (d) Evaluate consumer behaviour theory relating to customer expectations, within the context of the chosen organisation and customer loyalty in the selected customer segments. (Total 25 marks) (Maximum page count 3 pages) (1 page of the total 3 pages for this task should be used for the organisation summary) Page 3 of 7
TASK 2 Assessment criteria covered in Task 2: AC3.1, AC3.3, AC3.4, AC4.1, AC4.2 Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details. Customer loyalty can be created through understanding of customer experience dimensions and utilisation of the marketing mix to enhance the customer experience. This task requires you to explore the practicalities of developing customer experience in greater depth. As part of your report, you are asked to prepare a section detailing how your chosen organisation could utilise the different elements of the marketing mix, with particular reference to a product/service offer, to enhance the customer experience for the TWO customer segments identified in Task 1 (b). Required: (a) Describe the elements of customer experience relevant to the TWO customer segments identified in Task 1 and recommend appropriate customer experience designs for those segments. (10 marks) (b) Outline similarities between customer relationship marketing and customer experience management, considering links between relationships and loyalty. (6 marks) (c) Make clear recommendations for a product/service offer to create and enhance customer experience for the TWO customer segments identified in Task 1(b). (12 marks) (d) Demonstrate the role of price in creating and enhancing customer experience and loyalty for the recommended product/service offer for the TWO selected customer segments identified in Task 1(b). (12 marks) (Total 40 marks) (Maximum page count 6 pages) Page 4 of 7
TASK 3 Assessment criteria covered in Task 3: AC5.1, AC5.2, AC5.4, AC6.1, AC6.3 Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details. Measurement of customer experience is essential in understanding whether the organisation s activities are meeting customer expectations from a range of stakeholder perspectives. You are required to identify relevant KPIs within your chosen organisation as a basis for making improvements to the customer experience. Required: (a) Identify appropriate customer experience measures to understand customer retention and loyalty, with reference to the previously identified TWO customer segments in Task 1(b). (b) Identify TWO KPIs to measure customer experience for the chosen organisation. Recommend appropriate market research methods to measure those KPIs. (c) Justify the need to measure and monitor the customer experience KPIs, identified in Task 3(b), from the perspective of both the chosen organisation and its employees. (d) Based on the KPIs identified in Task 3(b), recommend and justify how the chosen organisation can make improvements to enhance the customer experience. (10 marks) (Total 25 marks) (Maximum page count 3 pages) Page 5 of 7
TASK 1 REPORT FORMAT TASK 1 MAXIMUM page count: 3 pages Candidates are encouraged to make reference to their organisation summary throughout the task, to avoid repetition and provide a context for their answers. Use of appropriate theoretical frameworks is required in order to underpin answers and provide structure. Application of the theories to the chosen organisation is important and should be included throughout the answer. Candidates will be rewarded for demonstrating understanding of the links between customer expectations, customer behaviour and customer loyalty and retention. TASK 2 REPORT FORMAT TASK 2 MAXIMUM page count: 6 pages The use of theoretical underpinning to support practical examples appropriate for the context of the chosen organisation is essential. Demonstrating an understanding of the linkages between the elements of customer experience management and customer relationship marketing is an important part of this task. Candidates will be rewarded for making clearly justified recommendations relevant to the customer segments identified. TASK 3 REPORT FORMAT TASK 3 MAXIMUM page count: 3 pages Candidates will be rewarded for demonstrating clear linkages between proposed research methods and key performance indicators of customer experience. The candidate should then demonstrate the importance of measuring and monitoring these key performance indicators in relation to the organisation and its employees. The improvements recommended should be justified on the basis of these key performance indicators, together with knowledge of best practice from external sources. Page 6 of 7
Organisation summary To be included at the end of the report. Contents will contribute to the FIVE marks available in Part (a) of Task 1. The following headings should be included: Organisation name Type of organisation, for example, profit or not-for-profit, local, national, global, and type of legal entity Size of organisation in terms of turnover and number of employees Range of products and services provided Customer base, for example, B2B/B2C Competitors Cross-functional relationships within the organisation Other important stakeholders Other relevant information Page 7 of 7