Customer Journey Management: How can the performance along the customer journey be measured and enhanced to ensure seamless tracking of success with the help of big data?

Abstract

Purpose: Customer Journey Management (CJM) offers significant opportunities for companies to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their customers, their experiences
and performance in terms of their customer journey (CJ). Such a greater understanding is
detrimental to the success of a company operating in a competitive, fast-changing, and
globalised world. Therefore, this study aims to explore and enhance the understanding of
CJM by integrating big data analytics to improve performance measurement throughout the
CJ, particularly in the business-to-business (B2B) sector. Recognising a gap in existing literature, which primarily focuses on big data applications for demand forecasting and pricing, this research seeks to provide a structured analysis of how big data together with the
analysis of key performance indicators (KPIs) can be effectively utilised in tracking and optimising the various stages of the CJ. By addressing the research questions related to enhancing CJM, overcoming the limitations of traditional KPIs, and exploring the potential of
big data for seamless performance tracking, this study intends to offer actionable insights
and strategies for business managers.
Structure/Methodology: The research is based both on literature and an empirical study.
The literature review carefully analyses, contrasts, and reflects on the research topics CJM,
performance analysis, and big data. To get a more in-depth look at the topics, the study
employs a qualitative research approach, consisting of six interviews with experts in the
field from B2B companies across Europe. A careful analysis of the information gathered
through the interviews together with the insights from the literature review allows for a detailed elaboration of the research questions of this paper.
Findings/Implications: The research indicates that the CJ is a process customers go
through when doing business with a company. The most important learning is that there is
no “one-fits-all” approach, which means that every company should design their own CJ
model with the opportunity to adapt it depending on the customers and projects. Various
performance measurement techniques show significant opportunities for companies to get
a comprehensive understanding of customers’ performance along the CJ as well as their
customer experience (CX). KPIs are commonly used to track the CJ, however, they come
with certain limitations which might give companies misleading insights. To understand the
entire picture and to decrease the likelihood of missing vital information big data applications
show considerable potential for tracking and understanding the CJ and the CX. An ideal
approach includes careful design of the CJ, its touchpoints, and a combination of different
performance tracking techniques. Companies should also make sure to leverage advanced
technologies, such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI), for enhanced management of
the CJ. Finally, it can be suggested that a holistic CJ approach is an essential strategic part
of remaining the preferred customer choice in competitive business environments.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Christopher Korntner-Kanitz (Supervisor)