This organizational leadership thesis explored how becoming a learning organization could support Servus Credit Union's increased focus on sales to enhance the customer experience and adhered to the Royal Roads University Research Ethics Policy. An appreciative stance was applied within an action research methodology to enhance the understanding of what is involved in being a learning organization. Four interviews were conducted with external participants to learn from their experiences with learning organizations. An internal focus group was then conducted with Servus Credit Union District and Regional Managers to further explore what would be required to create an exceptional customer experience and to continuously improve. The following recommendations emerged from the research: involve employees in revitalizing the vision, mission, and values; integrate the vision, mission, and values into the performance management process; formalize a leadership development program; establish a cross-functional innovation team; and engage customers to understand their needs.

Esse trabalho propõe-se a apresentar um modelo conceitual para avaliação da comunicação em franquias, a partir da criação de experiências diferenciadas para o consumidor no ponto-de-venda e consolidação das marcas que atuam nesse formato. Com o referencial teórico apresentado, pretendeu-se realizar um mapeamento sobre a evolução do marketing na tentativa de identificar elementos que promovam maior satisfação e envolvimento do consumidor através da comunicação integrada. Destacou-se também o processo de planejamento da comunicação e o maior entendimento da contribuição dos investimentos em comunicação no ponto-de-venda para o fortalecimento da marca, consolidação do posicionamento e construção de mecanismos de fidelização com clientes. O objeto de estudo foram empresas de franquia em função do rápido crescimento da receita e elevado número de lojas, como também por possuir uma comunicação integrada que contemple ações de ponto-de-venda fortemente associadas à marca. A pesquisa de campo caracterizou-se como uma pesquisa qualitativa em profundidade, buscando identificar como empresas que atuam no formato de franquia realizam os investimentos em comunicação, implementam tais ações e avaliam os resultados. Como resultados, pode-se identificar nas duas empresas analisadas dificuldade em avaliar e medir o retorno e contribuição das atividades de comunicação, em especial realizadas no ponto-de-venda, mesmo sendo hoje um importante ponto de contato para comunicação e realização de transações com consumidores e clientes. A análise dos casos e a revisão da literatura permitiram a elaboração de um modelo conceitual para avaliação da comunicação a ser utilizada conforme as dimensões dos franqueadores e franqueados, na geração de resultados e construção de mecanismos de fortalecimento das marcas e fidelização dos consumidores. Essa abordagem contribui para a consolidação dos estudos na área de avaliação e mensuração dos retornos de comunicação, bem como para o aprimoramento das atividades desenvolvidas por empresas de bens de consumo e serviços que atuam no formato de franquia ou até mesmo outros formatos que pretendem aumentar os investimentos em comunicação para o fortalecimento da marca e melhores resultados no longo prazo. / This study aims to present a conceptual model for the evaluation of communication in franchises, from creating unique experiences for the consumer at the point of sale and consolidation of brands that operate in this format. With the presented theoretical framework, it is intended to map on the evolution of marketing in an attempt to identify elements that promote greater satisfaction and consumer engagement through integrated communication. Also notable was the communication planning process and greater understanding of the contribution of investment in communication at the point of purchase to strengthen the brand, positioning consolidation and building loyalty mechanisms with customers. The object of study were franchise companies due to the rapid growth of revenue and the large number of shops, but also equipped with a communication that includes point-of-purchase actions strongly associated with the brand. The field research was characterized as a qualitative research, trying to identify how companies that work in the franchise format prepare investment in communication, implement such actions and evaluate the results. The results indicates that the two companies analyzed has difficulty in assessing and measuring the return and contribution of communication activities, in particular performed at the point-of-purchase, today is an important point of contact for communications and transactions with customers and clients. The analysis of the cases and the literature review allowed the development of a conceptual framework for the evaluation of communication to be used as the size of franchisors and franchisees in the generation of results and construction of strengthening mechanisms of brands and loyalty of consumers. This approach contributes to the consolidation of the studies in the area of evaluation and measurement of communication returns, as well as to the improvement of activities for consumer goods and services companies operating in the franchise format or even other formats aimed at increasing the investments in communications to strength the brand and better results in the long run.

Banking through insufficiently coordinated and non-integrated channels (Multi-Channel) is slowly being discarded. With Omni-Channel banking, where channels are integrated and data and information are shared across cross channels, customers are in control of the channels they wish to use. Factors influencing the organisational decision to transition from Multi-Channel to Omni-Channel hasn't been fully explored. Is this decision responding to internal factors like efficiency improvements, or is it driven by external factors like customer demands, trying to enhance customer experience, gaining competitive advantage over the competitors, expanding the business by introducing new business models, or trying to gain access to smart technologies for financial benefit? This dissertation presents research findings into the investigation of factors that influence the organisational decision to transition from Multi-Channel to Omni-Channel banking. A positivist case study with inductive reasoning was adopted. Qualitative data was collected from a single organisation through interviews together with observations of the strategy documents between January 2019 and April 2019. An initial conceptual model was derived from the literature review to guide data collection, after which thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and develop an emergent theory. The key findings from the research study are that a customer centric approach informs the decision to transition. The customer is at the centre of the omni-channel strategy: that is through an enhanced customer experience or timeously responding to customer demands. Other factors are either enabling this strategy, like technological innovations, and efficiency improvements or are the outcome of the strategy like customer satisfaction, revenue or cost optimisation, and competitive advantage. The key implications are that organisations must pay more attention to the customer journey and ensure that they advance in the Customer Experience Capability Maturity Model. Most successful business transitions to the Omni-Channel strategy require a transformation in organizational culture, operations and processes, and the underlying technologies.

Customer experience in retail banking has become a key source of differentiation. Increased competition in the financial services industry and the global financial crisis caused financial institutions to find themselves in a difficult operating environment. A sustainable competitive advantage in the current environment cannot be achieved only through excellent service delivery, service quality and prices, but through the creation of memorable customer experiences. The current study expands on the conceptual framework for the creation of customer experience proposed by Verhoef, Lemon, Parasuraman, Roggeveen, Leonard and Schlesinger (2009). In this paper the nature and extent to which the determinants discussed by Verhoef et al. impact on the customer experience is assessed. Using a quantitative method, a survey questionnaire measuring customers’ perceptions about their experiences with the retail banking firms, was distributed to 1043 employees of the air transportation company. The study finds that the past experiences, brand and prices impacts more on customer experience than other determinants identified. The study also evaluates the impact of transformation and Black Economic Empowerment on customer experience. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Background: In the last 20 years, the retail industry has experienced a drastic transformation and the rise of e-commerce has resulted in a change in the retail business models. Thus, there has been a shift from the traditional single-channel format to a multi-channel format. A critical challenge that retailers face with the multichannel format is the concept of showrooming, where consumers visit the brick-and-mortar retailer to explore the assortment and thus utilise the services offered, but finally purchases the product online.     Problem: Brick-and-mortar retailers often consider showrooming as a threat regarding the act of free-riding which might lead to a loss of potential customers. However, opinions on how to conquer this undesirable behaviour vary. Previous research shares the underlying assumption that price is the critical driver for the consumers’ decision to perform showrooming. Although, there is no clear consensus on how to hinder this behaviour.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to make sense of how customers’ in-store experiences affect showrooming in the clothing and footwear industry. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to beneficial theoretical retail knowledge as it investigates the underexplored research phenomenon of showrooming in a broad customer in-store experience context.   Method: To perform this research, a qualitative research design was applied and 15 semi-structured interviews with self-proclaimed showroomers were conducted.         Results: The findings declare that for a positive in-store experience to occur, it must be permeated by trust. When trust is achieved, the second critical factor of in-store experience in the context of showrooming concerns the availability. If these two factors of in-store experience are successfully managed, the desire to engage in showrooming decreases. These findings are visually demonstrated in a developed framework on page 49.

Background: In connection with the digitalisation of banking services, new players establishing themselves in the market and increased awareness that there is a large variety of attractive banking services among private banking customers, the banking sector is undergoing major changes. Individuals are often customers in different banks at the same time for different purposes. It is therefore important for bankers to identify determinants that can be of important nature when the customer chooses a bank and banking services. Purpose: The overall purpose of the study is to create an understanding of how digitization of previously physically performed banking services and how other determinants affect how private banking customers, in the age range 40-55, choose banking and banking services. Furthermore, the study aims to present proposals for future improvement work for the banks in line with the factors identified in the study. Method: To achieve the purposes of this study, a combination of two methods was used: quantitative method and qualitative method. The quantitative method was applied through a web-based survey and the qualitative method through individually made interviews. Conclusion: A conclusion can be drawn that bank customers belonging to generation X, the middle age, have a positive experience of digitalization of previously physically performed banking services. Furthermore, the main determinants that affect bank customers when choosing a bank are; recommendations from friends and family, interest rates on loans, friendliness and helpful staff, the bank's reputation and availability. Improvement proposals from customers to the banks showed that customers want to see more work in sustainability and to see better alternatives for customers whose technological ability is not good, for example the older generation.

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Yes / With the arrival of the service economy, businesses across different sectors have to rely increasingly on service design, with its focus on the viewpoints of customers and their experiences. Existing frameworks for evaluating customer experience tend to neglect the connection between customer experience and value co-creation, which is critical for enhancing the performance of service design. The aim of this conceptual paper is, therefore, to develop a customer experience evaluation framework that is coherently integrated with the value co-creation construct. It is achieved by intersecting the most relevant insights from prior approaches to evaluating customer experiences with a theoretical interpretation of service value as value in the experience that is always co-created and uniquely determined by the customer's personal lived and imagined experiences. The proposed framework is original in its theorizing of the evaluation process as a transformation from a customer experience evaluation to a synchronized evaluation of value in the experience and value co-creation throughout and beyond the service process. The framework proposes to utilize it in both major service redesign and on-the-spot service improvements, which are extremely relevant to businesses operating in highly competitive environments. The proposed framework is designed to guide future empirical evaluations, accommodate new theoretical extensions, and inform practical applications to design service offerings as unique and preferred experiences for customers.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing greater challenges in the modern era as a result of globalization, advancement in new technologies and the worldwide recession. As a result of these factors, as well as a decrease in government subsidies, marketing departments at HEIs find it more difficult to recruit and retain quality students. It is therefore necessary to establish what factors can contribute towards creating more satisfied and loyal students using the principles of relationship marketing, with the aim (in theory) to produce more customer advocates that will further their own studies, and actively promote their HEI to other prospective students. This study aimed to determine the customer experience levels of undergraduate students of the North-West University (NWU) in an administrative environment by using a quantitative approach. A questionnaire was distributed to students from ten different modes of delivery and campuses by using primarily a systematic random sampling technique, and self selective sampling to a lesser degree in the ten different learning models and campuses of the NWU. The total population of related administrative staff also received questionnaires, while qualitative, structured interviews were conducted with the registrars of the NWU. The data was analysed and interpreted by using the SPSS software, and frequency tables, reliability tests, factor analysis, correlations and the determination of the statistical analysis in an effort to answer the five research questions. A total of 1,299 students (4,2% of the population), 107 administrative staff members (73,2% of the population) and all four registrars participated in the study. There were significant differences found in the customer experience levels on the different campuses and modes of delivery especially in the direct interactions at service points. A strong positive correlation was reported between a positive customer experience as encountered by students, and their loyalty, as well as their intentions to continue their studies at the NWU, and their intention to actively endorse or promote the NWU to friends and family members (customer advocacy). There was also a strong positive correlation between staff members‘ intention to deliver satisfactory customer experience levels and also between it, their own loyalty and own customer advocacy levels. There was, however, no significant difference in the perceived customer experience levels between younger, on-campus students and older, off-campus students. Lastly, the NWU-PERF service quality tool was found to be a reliable and valid instrument to determine participants‘ perceptions about customer service levels at the NWU in the academic administration environment. Four of the five research questions could therefore be answered from the finding of this study, with only the expected differences in the perceived customer experience levels between younger, on-campus students and older, off-campus students proved as incorrect. It could therefore be concluded that all student populations therefore have the same customer experience desires. Several recommendations were made, including the further development, testing and usage of the NWU-PERF instrument to consistently improve service levels at the NWU, the establishing of policy documents to establish an awareness of a customer-centric approach, the development and use of appropriate technologies, the improvement of service experiences, a central customer service centre, adequate administrative staff, centralized support for off-campus programmes, and a broader, more active alumni association. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing greater challenges in the modern era as a result of globalization, advancement in new technologies and the worldwide recession. As a result of these factors, as well as a decrease in government subsidies, marketing departments at HEIs find it more difficult to recruit and retain quality students. It is therefore necessary to establish what factors can contribute towards creating more satisfied and loyal students using the principles of relationship marketing, with the aim (in theory) to produce more customer advocates that will further their own studies, and actively promote their HEI to other prospective students. This study aimed to determine the customer experience levels of undergraduate students of the North-West University (NWU) in an administrative environment by using a quantitative approach. A questionnaire was distributed to students from ten different modes of delivery and campuses by using primarily a systematic random sampling technique, and self selective sampling to a lesser degree in the ten different learning models and campuses of the NWU. The total population of related administrative staff also received questionnaires, while qualitative, structured interviews were conducted with the registrars of the NWU. The data was analysed and interpreted by using the SPSS software, and frequency tables, reliability tests, factor analysis, correlations and the determination of the statistical analysis in an effort to answer the five research questions. A total of 1,299 students (4,2% of the population), 107 administrative staff members (73,2% of the population) and all four registrars participated in the study. There were significant differences found in the customer experience levels on the different campuses and modes of delivery especially in the direct interactions at service points. A strong positive correlation was reported between a positive customer experience as encountered by students, and their loyalty, as well as their intentions to continue their studies at the NWU, and their intention to actively endorse or promote the NWU to friends and family members (customer advocacy). There was also a strong positive correlation between staff members‘ intention to deliver satisfactory customer experience levels and also between it, their own loyalty and own customer advocacy levels. There was, however, no significant difference in the perceived customer experience levels between younger, on-campus students and older, off-campus students. Lastly, the NWU-PERF service quality tool was found to be a reliable and valid instrument to determine participants‘ perceptions about customer service levels at the NWU in the academic administration environment. Four of the five research questions could therefore be answered from the finding of this study, with only the expected differences in the perceived customer experience levels between younger, on-campus students and older, off-campus students proved as incorrect. It could therefore be concluded that all student populations therefore have the same customer experience desires. Several recommendations were made, including the further development, testing and usage of the NWU-PERF instrument to consistently improve service levels at the NWU, the establishing of policy documents to establish an awareness of a customer-centric approach, the development and use of appropriate technologies, the improvement of service experiences, a central customer service centre, adequate administrative staff, centralized support for off-campus programmes, and a broader, more active alumni association. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.