Customer-focused Strategy Research Articles

Adapting the GPT engine for proactive customer insight extraction in product development

Understanding the perceptions of consumers is widely recognized as a critical element in the innovation of new products. Traditional techniques used by companies to collect essential consumer insights have largely remained unchanged. Common practices like interviews and surveys have distinct limitations. Interviews may not always capture the precise needs of consumers due to communication barriers, and surveys tend to encourage incremental changes rather than radical innovations. Service industries face further complexity as they navigate customer feedback on the more intangible aspects of service quality. This study highlights the pioneering use of GPT-3.5 Turbo, a tool known for its exceptional ability to delve into the nuances of conversational context and process data in a chat-centric manner, thereby enhancing the extraction of Voice of the Customer (VoC). Its capability to handle large volumes of data in multiple languages leads to a more thorough and inclusive VoC analysis. The study links these technological advancements with Lean Six Sigma 4.0, suggesting that incorporating GPT-3.5 Turbo could significantly improve the customer-focused strategies in the current industrial landscape. This breakthrough in VoC analysis suggests possibilities for more perceptive, immediate data-driven approaches in customer service, and lays a stronger groundwork for decisions in product evolution and process enhancement. The paper concludes by urging further investigation to confirm these initial results and to explore the ethical aspects of employing such advanced natural language processing technologies.

Fostering social enterprise innovativeness: the interplay of learning, market orientation and stakeholder engagement within a capability framework

PurposeDrawing on capability theory, this study aims to examine the interplay of learning orientation, market orientation and stakeholder engagement in fostering social enterprise innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 1,044 Australian social enterprise executives and managers tested hypotheses in a mediated moderation model using structural equation modelling.FindingsNested model comparisons revealed key insights: market orientation partially mediates the relationship between learning commitment, open-mindedness and innovativeness. High stakeholder engagement hinders learning commitment’s effect on innovativeness while enhancing open-mindedness’ impact. Shared vision negatively affects innovativeness. Control variables highlight gender-based perceptions, with female executives viewing market orientation and innovativeness less favourably than male counterparts. This study underscores the importance of heightened market orientations in hostile business environments.Research limitations/implicationsFindings prompt further investigation into stakeholder engagement’s negative impact on learning commitment and shared vision’s effect on innovativeness. It is crucial to recognise gender perspectives in strategy and align internal practices with external conditions.Originality/valueThis study clarifies the interplay between learning orientation, market orientation and stakeholder engagement in fostering innovativeness amid contradictory findings. It advances social enterprise research by introducing a capability-based approach to cultivate innovativeness, challenging dominant customer-focused strategies to enhance organisational performance.

AN INNOVATIVE IT SOLUTIONS AGENCY (hub of technology innovative solutions)

ABSTRACT : An innovative IT solution company that provides a variety of services, such as software development, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, is introduced in the proposal. In order to provide unique solutions for challenging business problems, the agency plans to incorporate cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, IoT, and machine intelligence. Delivering individualised solutions through in-depth market research, agile development, strategic alliances, talent development, and all-encompassing support and training will be the agency’s primary focus. A competitive edge, better decision-making, higher levels of security, and sustained growth are among the anticipated results. By offering clients significant value and long-term growth, the agency hopes to become a leader in the IT services sector. Businesses and organisations in the modern digital age rely more and more on cutting-edge IT solutions to boost productivity, improve customer experiences, and keep a competitive edge. The goal of this project is to create a cutting-edge IT solution company that will provide services and solutions specifically designed to fulfil the demands of different industries. Service diversification entails offering a wide range of IT services, such as data analytics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, software development, and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. Innovation Focus: To develop custom solutions that tackle particular business difficulties, take advantage of cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning. A customer-focused strategy: Adopt a client-first approach to guarantee individualised solutions via thorough needs analysis and ongoing involvement. Guarantee of Quality: Put into practice strict quality control procedures. KEYWORDS – STEM education, interdisciplinary learning, project-based instruction, active learning, innovation

A Study on the Consumer Satisfaction on Postal Article Safety Through Last Mile Delivery for the Postal and Courier Industry

The customer satisfaction is closely linked to the security and integrity of postal items at the last mile delivery stage in the ever-changing postal and courier sector. This research explores the complex world of consumers' experiences and perceptions of their packages' safety on the last leg of delivery. The research design in this study is quantitative. A quantitative research design involves the collection and analysis of numerical data to understand and quantify consumer experiences with last-mile parcel delivery. Total sample about 245 questionnaires were collected and the analysis using SPSS software. The goal of the inquiry is to comprehend customer behaviours, expectations, and concerns regarding the safety of postal articles during last-mile delivery. Important components, including handling procedures, delivery schedules, communication efficacy, and package quality, will be closely examined to see how they affect customer satisfaction and confidence in the postal and courier services. The objective of this study is to examine the factors influence consumer perceptions on the practice of parcel delivery at the doorstep when not at home for service improvement to ensure parcel safety. This study aims to provide useful information to industry stakeholders by highlighting the postal article safety customer experience. The results are anticipated to guide tactics and procedures that improve the security measures used by courier and postal services, eventually encouraging a customer-focused strategy throughout the last-mile delivery stage. The results of this study seek to optimise postal item safety, assuring a good and secure customer experience in the constantly changing world of postal and courier logistics, as the sector grapples with elevated consumer expectations and changing market dynamics

Revitalizing educational institutions through customer focus

Despite the importance of education in terms of spending and its impact, dissatisfaction with traditional public schools is growing due to students’ underperformance. One reason, among many, is the lack of strategic focus among educational institutions. The authors theoretically and empirically demonstrate the benefits of a customer-focused approach to strategy planning and execution for improving student performance. A customer-focused strategy enables educational institutions to identify customer needs providing the most value to customers, align strategy execution to those needs, and ultimately improve customer loyalty and academic outcomes. We demonstrate the approach using data from qualitative interviews with school leaders and surveys from 10,644 K12 parents. We conclude that a customer-focused approach helps educational institutions satisfy their customers and achieve higher academic outcomes.

Influence of Customer Focus Strategy on Financial Performance of Deposit-Taking Saccos in Kenya

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of customer focus strategy on financial performance of deposit-taking SACCOs in Kenya.
 Materials and Methods: A descriptive research cross-sectional approach was applied. The target population of this study was 174 DT-SACCOs in Kenya. The sample size was 174 respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the selected respondents. Data collection method was by use of questionnaires. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially. Data was coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v23.0). Results were then presented in tables, diagrams and charts.
 Findings: The results showed that Customer focus strategy had a positive and significant relationship to financial performance (r=0.526, p=0.000; R2=0.277, β=0.913). The findings indicate that organizations that prioritize customer focus are more likely to achieve improved financial outcomes.
 Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommended that organizations prioritize customer focus strategies to enhance their financial performance. By emphasizing customer focus, organizations can improve their financial performance by cultivating customer loyalty, driving revenue growth, and differentiating themselves in the marketplace. Additionally, this approach contributes to policy by guiding lawmakers to create customer-centric regulatory frameworks that promote sustainable business growth. Furthermore, scholars can benefit from this study by gaining insights into the relationship between customer-focused strategies and financial performance, thereby enriching theoretical understandings in the field of business management.

Improving smart deals system to secure human-centric consumer applications: Internet of things and Markov logic network approaches

Considering the increasing inclination of modern consumers to frequent large retail chains capable of promptly fulfilling their diverse needs, there is a noticeable surge in the prevalence of contemporary shopping complexes. Subscription services, customer-focused strategies, and efficient supply management are driving the progression of intelligent commerce within these expansive retail platforms. The Internet of Things (IoT) presents the foundation for “smart” retailers that can monitor inventory levels, diminish equipment failures, and provide better customer experience. Many models, as one of the widely used methods in this domain, Markov Logic Network (MLN), can simultaneously use activity knowledge and data by unifying probability and logic. In this research, we determine a smart deals system (SDS), consider the improved machine learning algorithms to meet performance, and develop secure human-centric consumer applications to render the system workable. From the results, and based on the percentage of efficiency, around 10% of clients are connected randomly, which has a minor impact on the outcomes from LR (logistic regression). Similar outcomes are delivered when the number of customers in the scope of 30–40% is connected for NB (Naive Bayes). Hence, prospective shopping sales will increase along with the efficiency and speed at which it operates.

Navigating the Digital Marketplace: Strategies for Entrepreneurship in Electronic Commerce

This research explores the tactics used by e-commerce business owners in the ever-changing online industry. By addressing the difficulties faced by e-commerce business owners, the study closes a knowledge vacuum about the particular tactics they use. Through semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs, this study uncovers important insights: a customer-focused strategy, flexibility in responding to market developments, data-driven choices, and strong cybersecurity defenses are essential for e-commerce success. These findings have obvious implications for entrepreneurs operating in the digital space: putting customer pleasure first, responding quickly to shifting market conditions, using data analytics, and putting strong cybersecurity in place are all critical. This report provides actionable advice for entrepreneurs to thrive as the digital market develops and stay competitive. This research is thought to be a beneficial tool for e-commerce business owners, scholars, and regulators, providing perceptions and direction in an everchanging e-commerce industry

MARKETING MIX STRATEGIES: MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS AT RELIANCE FRESH

The retail industry is a vibrant and essential sector of the economy, encompassing a diverse array of businesses that offer goods and services directly to consumers. Organized retail, in particular, represents a structured and modern approach to retailing, characterized by formal store formats, inventory management, and customer-focused strategies. Reliance Fresh, a prominent player in the Indian retail landscape, is known for its organized retail operations, providing a wide range of products under one roof. To succeed in this competitive market, Reliance Fresh employs a well-crafted marketing mix, comprising the strategic elements of product, price, place, and promotion, to meet customer needs and drive business growth. The study titled A Study on Effectiveness of Marketing Mix Strategies at Reliance Fresh aims to investigate whether the current marketing mix strategies employed by Reliance Fresh are achieving desired outcomes and meeting consumer expectations. In the fiercely competitive Indian retail industry, understanding the evolving consumer preferences, optimizing resources, and enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty are imperative for sustained growth. The objectives of this study include assessing product offerings, pricing strategies, distribution channels, promotional activities, and their impact on brand perception and customer engagement. By evaluating these aspects, Reliance Fresh aims to stay ahead of competitors and adapt to changing market dynamics, ultimately strengthening its market position. KEYWORDS: Reliance Fresh, Marketing mix, Effectiveness, Retail industry, Brand loyalty

Consumer Behavior and Factors that Influence Consumption and Customer Satisfaction

The factors that influence purchasing behaviors and decisions are important to align customer-focused strategies that allow the development of local and international businesses. This research focuses on coffee shops and A questionnaire was conducted to a sample of 254 consumers from coffee shops representative of the city of Guayaquil with a structural equation model to evaluate 5 hypotheses. The objective was to analyze if there is a positive and significant relationship between the quality, expectations and monetary value with customer satisfaction; and the influence between satisfaction and revisit and recommendation. Research has shown that consumer loyalty depends on satisfaction and through a multigroup analysis the level of intensity of the consumption decision of women compared to men was measured.

Do customer centricity and innovativeness mediate the relationship between total quality management and the corporate success of SaaS companies?

PurposeThis research explores the mediating role of a firm's innovativeness and customer orientation on the relationship between commercial success and total quality management (TQM) in the Indian SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) sector.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses suggested for this study were validated using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling on data collected from 189 executives working in SaaS companies in India.FindingsThe findings of this study revealed that a SaaS company's innovativeness fully mediates the relationship between TQM and corporate performance, whereas the customer orientation of SaaS companies partially mediates the relationship between TQM and corporate performance.Originality/valueFindings of this paper indicate that, in addition to TQM deployment, SaaS companies' innovativeness and customer-focused strategy will improve their corporate performance. With minimal research focusing on India, this study may be considered a pioneer work. It can serve as a basis for SaaS company promoters to improve their corporate performance by implementing TQM processes.

Disruptive innovation: Designing business platforms for new financial services

Business platform models often achieve industry disruption through the elimination of barriers such as time and space by implementing smart and sophisticated software that captures, analyzes, and exchanges huge volumes of data. Central to business platforms is their online participative infrastructure that facilitates interaction between many external producers and consumers where the exchange of goods, services or social currency enables value creation for all involved. This study adopts an exploratory approach to improve existing understanding about the strategies that financial platforms implement. In addition, we explore what incumbents are doing to ‘survive’ and if the measures they are taking are sufficient to achieve survival. Further, we examine whether customer-focused strategies, such as Experience-Based Offerings (EBOs), provide the best solution for financial service firms to gain competitive advantage. The findings show that strategies can be implemented successfully by integrating technology to improve, personalize, and customize customer experiences, while managers and employees can add quality to experiences. This study contributes to our understanding of business platforms by identifying how they are designed and managed, and how incumbents can learn from them to respond to the challenges presented by today’s rapidly changing consumer behavior. Based on our findings, we extend existing conceptual models that can be used to achieve platform-based financial service goals.

Building Construction Clients’ Design Consultant and Contractor Selection Criteria Versus Post-Occupancy Satisfaction Levels

In today’s competitive building construction markets, achieving clients’ satisfaction is of utmost importance. The choice of a design consultant and a contractor for a building project has a crucial influence on the post-occupancy satisfaction of the client. Hence, this study provides insights into private building construction clients’ perceptions of a set of criteria contributing to their selections of design consultant and contractor together with the resulting post-occupancy overall client satisfaction levels eventually reached, by presenting survey findings of 330 clients in North Cyprus construction market. Unlike previous studies, the current study combined all the interrelated and vital stages of design consultant and contractor selection with post-occupancy client satisfaction levels. A further contribution is differentiating among various types of client groups’ behaviors in each of the three specified stages. Clients in different categories had distinct approach differences in selection stages, and different post-occupancy satisfaction values indicating that firms may benefit from market segmentation. “Residential” and “<120,000£” type building clients were the least satisfied groups, while “project execution stage” and “functionality” emerged as major features creating dissatisfaction. The findings revealed the importance attached by the clients to “references about the firm” in the selection stages and low client satisfaction with the completed projects. Regression analysis findings revealed different design consultant and contractor selection factors predicting overall clients’ satisfaction while assigning high importance to the “cost-effectiveness approach of the firm” emerged as the only strong predictor of dissatisfaction. This study provides a guide for building construction clients to attain higher post-occupancy satisfaction and assists design consultants and contractors in adopting specific customer-focused strategies.

CX transformation of Tele2: From a discounter to a customer service leader

The case is devoted to the transition of the telecommunications company Tele2 to a management system based on the principles of continuous improvement of customer experience, or CX-transformation. The case describes the development of Tele2 in the Russian cellular market in 2003–2020. Firstly, it outlines the main aspects of the Tele2’s business strategy in 2003–2016. Secondly, it provides a detailed description of events that took place in 2015–2016, when Tele2’s financial and operational performance indicators dwindled, and the mobile operator was challenged to develop a new business strategy that meets the changing market realities. Finally, there is a description of a new customer-focused strategy that implied the integration of customer metrics into all organizational processes and the restructuring of the internal customer experience management system. The case describes actions taken by the company during 2017–2020 to implement customer experience management practices and outlines the key results of Tele2’s CX transformation. The case is based on Tele2’s internal reports, retrospective interviews with the company’s representatives involved in the CX transformation process, and secondary opensource information. The case can be used to discuss the prerequisites, goals, components, and success factors of CX transformation.

The Effect of Umrah Service Quality on Umrah Customer Satisfaction and Umrah Customer Loyalty: Evidence from Umrah traveling agents in Malaysia

The main aim of this study is to explore the impact of the dimensions of Umrah service quality on customer satisfaction for Umrah and customer loyalty for Umrah in the travel industry. Increasingly intense competition and structural shifts in the business environment are now pushing companies to adopt a customer-focused strategy that elevates the value of customer-related constructs such as customer satisfaction, quality of service, and consumer loyalty in describing the success of a company. Umrah service efficiency, Umrah customer satisfaction, and Umrah customer loyalty were calculated from the literature using a 5-point Likert scale. Structural equation modeling was carried out to analyze the impact of Umrah service quality on customer satisfaction in Umrah and customer loyalty in Umrah. The result showed that all dimensions of service quality influenced customer satisfaction and loyalty of Umrah's customers. The study's key drawback is that it was confined only to the Malaysian nation. Second, the present study only focuses on the traveling industry in Umrah. The results clearly indicate the dimensions of the quality of Umrah service that the practitioners must concentrate on in order to provide a better quality of service.

Market Basket Analysis of Basket Data with Demographics: A Case Study in E-Retailing

Businesses overcome with a high degree of competition that necessitates customer-focused strategies in most industries. In a digitalized business environment, the implementation of such strategies often requires the analysis of customer data. Market basket analysis is a well-known method in marketing that examines basket data to discover useful information about customers’ purchase intentions. The analysis has been a playground for data mining researchers that aim to overcome with its practical challenges. Our study extends the conventional basket analysis by incorporating demographic variables along with purchase transactions. With such modification, we provide an example for the extraction of segment-specific rules that relate product-level purchase decisions with gender, location, and age group. For this purpose, we present a case study on monthly basket data obtained from an e-retailer in Turkey. Our findings demonstrate association rules that might guide marketing practitioners who need to discover segment-specific purchase patterns to designate personalized promotions.

Organizational learning, innovativeness and performance of financial service firms in an emerging market: examining the mediation effects of customer-focused strategy

PurposeThe study investigates the extent to which organizational learning and innovativeness can improve the firms' performance through a customer-focused strategy.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from Indonesian financial service firms using a questionnaire-based survey. The 157 useable survey responses were analysed to test the proposed hypotheses using SmartPLS.FindingsThis study finds that both organizational learning and innovativeness have a positive effect on performance. The effect of organizational learning on performance depends on the variations of the customer-focused strategy. However, innovativeness does not mediate through customer-focused strategy to enhance performance.Practical implicationsIn firms that implement business model innovation, managers should focus on resource flexibility. Where it is responsive, managers need to be concerned with ensuring various uses of existing resources to understand the performance effectively.Social implicationsAs one of the types of dynamic capabilities, organizational learning and innovativeness are also important antecedents of performance.Originality/valueThis study extends the business innovation model from the adaptability of customer-focused strategy. The findings confirm that organizational learning has a prominent role in meeting customer needs for a dynamic market.

Leadership styles and Lean Six Sigma effectiveness within the aerospace and defense manufacturing industry

The aerospace and defense (A&D) industry has shifted into a globally competitive market that is prioritizing innovative advancements in technological capabilities. Corporations are now having to further develop customer-focused strategies grounded in adding value while reducing costs. Large corporations often embrace continuous improvement methodologies, such as Lean Six Sigma (LSS), to execute these strategies. Though numerous benefits for continuous improvement programs have been realized, there are several factors that contribute to whether it will be successful or not. The type of leadership styles found within organizations heavily influence the outcomes of implementing the LSS methodology. This paper aims to provide a literature review summary of leadership styles and LSS within the A&D manufacturing industry.

Choice of performance measures for bonus plan: implications for firm performance and promotions

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the impact of a change in the bonus-based incentives on firm performance and promotions. We use both a proprietary dataset and a field-based survey of a leading bakery chain in Japan that changed its bonus determination from focusing on nonfinancial measures to financial measures. We find that firm performance declines under the new bonus plan due to a misalignment between the choice of performance measures and the bakery’s customer-focused strategy. Moreover, supervisors consider performance measures other than what is intended by the firm for promotions i.e., financial measures) when they perceive these measures to be underweighted from the perspective of temporal alignment of the incentive system. This study contributes to prior literature by documenting the impact of a change in bonus plan on firm performance and promotions decisions, where empirical evidence is limited.

Building a Customer Focused Strategy: Developing Conceptual Frameworks and Research Propositions

In today's highly competitive business environments, organizations tend to become more sensitive and responsive to the changing needs of customers. Inculcating and continually strengthening 'customer focus' is essential for achieving and sustaining competitive advantages for the organizations. The seven Cs framework and research propositions developed in this research is an actionable model for building a customer focused strategy in organizations. With this framework significant steps can be taken to strengthen an organization's customer focus. A strong customer focused strategy exhibits high ratings on all seven Cs: CEO leadership, collaborative approach, compensation system, customer insight, criteria for decisions, competitor awareness and a deep organizational commitment and contribution of all functions to creation of superior customer value, profitably. Research discusses customer focused strategy at Zappos and also provides numerical illustrations to calculate increase in firm valuation for a customer focused organization.